Because You're Here
by 0erbaDiaVanille
Summary: Serah meant everything to Lightning, so when she recieved the news her sister was a l'Cie, how could she bring herself to forgive the one responsible? She was beginning to realise that their futures were intertwined, in more than one way... Light/Vanille
1. An Unusual Day

**Heya guys! **

**Well, I've had this little story idea running through my head for a while now, I always meant to write another Final Fantasy, I just didn't get round to it untill now. Some of you will have read my other Final Fantasy XIII, which is titled Journey to Freedom, that one is set in game on Gran Pulse from chapter 11 onwards. (I have not given up on that one, I shall be updating it regularly too, so keep checking back!)**

**This one is going to be set in game too, but at the beginning, before they boarded the purge train. (Yes of course it is another Vanille/Light pairing!) I wanted the chance to portray just the two of them before all of the drama, and this story should give me the perfect chance! It will follow the curve of the story but of course I will be making it very different in major aspects...**

**So anyway, if you want to know more I guess you are just going to have to read on… I do not own the Characters of Final Fantasy XIII, I just borrow them for your enjoyment and my writing addiction! **

**Enjoy! **

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><p><strong>Because You're Here.<strong>

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><p>The sand on Bodhum beach shone a bright white. Its pearly surface contrasted against the bright blue waves of the sea, giving it a majestic feel to the tourists. The residents had also been captivated by its spell. After all, it was the best place on Cocoon for a vacation. It was famous for its friendly atmosphere and laid back approach.<p>

The sun was beating down, one of many bright days that summer. The day was just at its height, just after noon and as usual the town was bursting with life.

Lightning Farron stepped across the white sand on this bright day, her army-grade boots scuffing the surface impatiently. Her posture alerted everyone that she would have preferred to be left alone, followed by a harsh stare should anyone else not heed that warning.

She was known across the town for her no nonsense approach, her duty to work and the fact that no matter what, her life seemed to be a mystery. The only person she truly knew and who truly knew her was her sister Serah.

The non-residents of Bodhum were giving her sideward's glances as she marched along. Her white military outfit drawing attention to the fact she had superiority over the civilians.

She noticed as she was walking that a small group of people were looking at her with a fearful expression, obviously not used to the security Bodhum was providing. She shrugged her shoulders. Perhaps they were from Nautilus. She wasn't worried, let them stare.

Her light-pink hair hung loosely to one side, covering as much of her expression as she needed it too, adding another unapproachable feature to her face. She preferred it that way. The less people she could converse with the better. Especially on a boring day such as this one.

Lightning hated slow days, she much preferred to be situated on some kind of mission that involved a little bit of action, security detail just wasn't her style. Even though she was sure she wouldn't need it, her hand was fixed firmly above her gun blade, ready should she require it.

She looked down with a little bit of pride, the Guardian Corps had recently issued her with a brand new model, only given to high ranking soldiers with excellent fighting skills. The yellow chevrons on her sleeve indicated that she was a Sergeant. Something again, she was slightly proud at. She would never have seen herself here ten years previously.

"Hey Lightning! Lightning! Wait up!"

She turned at the sound of a voice behind her, her eyes low to the floor. She was trying to hide the scowl that had crossed her brow, after all, she had almost managed a full lap of the beach without bumping into anyone she knew.

"What is it?" she half-sighed, she answered though, through lack of anything else to do.

A young woman came running up behind her, skidding to a halt she rested her hands on her knees, doubled over and fought for breath. Lightning rolled her eyes, even a simple jog down the beach was too much work for Lebreau.

"Let me catch my breath…" she panted. She soon caught it however, that and a glimpse of Lightning's impatiently tapping foot.

"Have you seen Snow? I need to talk to him… something about NORA?" Lebreau said, her voice a cheery tone. Everybody loved Lebreau, the young woman was always an ear for anyone who wanted a conversation, unfortunately Lightning never wanted to. Nor was she currently in the mood for a chit-chat.

"Tsk" she replied. "Why would I know?"

"I didn't know whether Serah…"

"I haven't seen her. Not today anyway…" Lightning replied sharply, her scowl deepening. She despised Snow, everything about him screamed arrogance, his attitude, his looks. Even the way he spoke. She reached a little further for her weapon without even thinking about it, it was a reflex.

"Oh, it's just PSICOM were out here earlier, I wondered if he had found out why…" Lebreau let her smile falter, Lightning didn't seem to want to talk to her. She got the hint. Sighing she turned heel to walk back to the café.

"Wait, PSICOM were here?" Lightning stopped her, her voice suddenly more interested. "I didn't see them" she was surprised. It was unlike her not to know what was going on.

"What were they doing?"

"That's what I was asking you for, I don't know. Snow went out to look for them."

"Hmmm…" Lightning looked away, lost in thought.

"If you find Snow, he should be able to tell you." Lebreau smiled again, she reached up and ran her hand through her dark hair, her smile was nervous, she knew Lightning hated people talking about Snow, let alone someone telling her to go and see him.

"Tsk, I'm sure I'll find out from the commander later anyway…" she looked back at Lebreau before making to leave.

"It cant be too important otherwise I wouldn't be patrolling the beach…"

"Perhaps that's why your out here?" Lebreau said without thinking. "Uh… I mean…" she grinned meekly when she realised how her words sounded.

"I mean maybe they don't want anyone else to know what's going on?"

"Hmmm…" Lightning didn't care for that answer but perhaps Lebreau was right, after all PSICOM were sneaky. Well, there was no point waiting around, she was sure she would find out sooner or later.

"I've got work to do…" she said no more to the young woman, not even the offer of a goodbye. Instead she just about-turned and marched off quickly, her strides longer than usual. She didn't want to give Lebreau any reason to take up talking again.

That was all she needed.

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><p>She was trying her hardest to fit in with the crowd. The truth was, it was just almost impossible.<p>

The shopping district in Bodhum was, as usual heaving with tourists. Not the best thing while she was attempting to keep a low profile. In fact, the group of young men standing on one of the corners was exactly the kind of people she wanted to avoid. Their military uniforms indicated that they were soldiers and the weapons slug over their shoulders confirmed her suspicion.

She quickly headed to one side of the street, as far away from them as she could get. It was slightly unusual to her, she had only seen the men dressed in white, carrying swords and gun blades. These men were helmeted, dressed in black and carrying rifles, or a kind of machine operated gun. She frowned, perhaps they were just a different part of the army. Either way, she didn't want them noticing her.

As they looked her way she quickly bowed her head, she wasn't particularly tall, however her strange hair colour stuck out from the rest of the residents.

Her clothes too were an unruly sight for this type of town, they by themselves were attracting more attention than she would have liked. She knew she should have probably stayed low and kept hidden. Away from the heavy parts of town. However, her craving for company was beginning to overpower her completely. There was only so long someone could stand being by themselves, no matter what reason it was for. Night time was the worst, she would curl up by herself and slowly cry herself to sleep. Like always.

As soon as she had passed the soldiers post she breathed out a sigh and straightened up. Her knees were beginning to ache from all the hiding.

"Hey!" a noise from behind her made her heart skip, she jumped a few feet in the air and turned around quickly, thinking she had been spotted. She released her held breath however when she saw it was just a young boy calling to his mother. She smiled. He ran up to his mother, tears streaming down his face and embraced her quickly. He had obviously been lost.

It was ironic really, here she was, lost completely. Yet she had no one to hug, no one to reassure her that everything would be okay. She would have given anything to be like him at this very moment.

That's what a true nineteen year old should have felt like. Yet instead here she was, in a town that was alien for her and running from a military that she didn't know anything about. When had her life gotten so complicated?

She squinted at the crowd carefully. There was another reason she had come to the busiest part of town. There was only one person she really wished to see. However she breathed a sigh of disappointment when she saw that there was no glimpse of blue. No strange accent. An accent very like her own, unheard on most of Cocoon. The accent of Pulse. Gran pulse…

She looked down at the floor. What she would give to be there right now, to forget this impossible focus. Too many had died already, and too many would in the future. Unfortunately as far as she could tell, there was no way to do that. Instead she was just biding her time. If she had to wait, wait until her life ended the focus for her. She would.

She just wished that her friend was by her side.

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><p>Lightning's day it seemed, was going from bad to worse.<p>

The day was becoming increasingly more boring, the heat was beginning to rise and so was her frustration. She reached up and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. That was the only problem with military uniforms, even though it was cut short at the sleeve, exposing her arms and a little open at the bottom, allowing her stomach to catch a little air, the material it was made from was heavy, and a bit of a burden.

To top off her misfortunes, a male voice she really didn't wish to hear seemed to have found her.

"Sis!"

"Tsk… great" she whispered. She didn't even need to turn around to know who was talking. She would know his arrogant voice anywhere. Perhaps if she refused to answer he would simply go away.

'Yeah right, like that would happen' she thought.

This unfortunate encounter had happened while she was on the high street. Having finished her stroll down the beach she decided it was the right time to head off for a drink. She wished to avoid Lebreau's café, simply because she didn't want to see Snow. She was avoiding an encounter, which would undoubtedly end up in her knocking him out for being a jackass.

Well, they were about to find out.

"Hey, sis are you avoiding me?" Snow said, his hand on his head and a goofy one sided grin across his face.

"I am NOT your sister!" she emphasised, her voice as cold as she could make it. She made a note of adjusting her position, so her body was tilted sideways from him. A scowl was set firmly on her face and she crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Did you see them?" he asked, his voice lower.

"See who? Why do you have to talk in riddles?" she spat. He was the last person on earth she wanted to talk too. Hell, she would even prefer one of Lebreau's speeches.

"PSICOM, who else? I thought you would know why they are here! The whole towns buzzing!" he cracked his knuckles together in anticipation.

"Something's happening…. I know it." he looked up at the sky, taking in a deep breath.

"That's just your arrogance talking" Lightning replied smugly. To tell the truth, she could feel it too. There was a strange electricity running among the people. Even people who didn't live here. Something was going to happen, she just couldn't put her finger on what.

"What's your problem?" Snow asked, his voice suddenly serious. Lightning was taken slightly aback. He had never talked back before, she wasn't sure he even had the backbone.

"You know what my problem is… you and my sister…" she growled back, looking him straight in the eye. If she was locked in battle that simple look could make any man back off. However Snow wasn't moving, he was either very brave or very stupid.

'Or both' She thought.

"I don't need your permission Lightning, I love her. You know that!" he raised his hands in frustration. What was it going to take to make her see that?

"Do I?" she replied, "All I see is some reckless idiot running round with a group of people pretending to be something they aren't. All this NORA business, it's pointless… and Serah doesn't need that"

"So, you think your helping her by hating me?"

"I just don't know what she sees in you, your just all talk." she raised her voice for the last part, her anger boiling up.

'Walk away Light, walk away for Serah.'

"I haven't got time for this…" she growled.

"Fine, If you want to be like that, it's up to you." Snow was now clearly annoyed too. It seemed she frustrated him just as much as he did her.

As she turned to leave he shouted one last thing to her.

"If you find out what PSICOM are up to, let me know alright…"

"Yeah right…" she hissed through gritted teeth. He would be the last one to know.

'Go to hell' she thought.

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><p>The young girls eyes scanned across the wide open space nervously. She was now on the outskirts of the town, where she had first arrived on Cocoon, to the little piece of Pulse that still gave her hope. Bodhum was green here, farmers fields stretched out in front of her and she was stood in the last little stretch of trees observing. Someone had taught her to be cautious and check her surroundings, one day back on Pulse. One day that was now just a distant memory.<p>

The day was getting late and she was tired. She had searched for her companion all day, yet nothing turned up. She had hoped to just see a little glimpse of her, to go running up to her and throw her arms around her neck in happiness, the bottom line was. She was alone again, and she was beginning to give up hope that she would ever find her.

Cocoon seemed to be crawling with soldiers, she hadn't even dared to enter any food shops, and as her stomach growled loudly she sighed.

'Guess I'm staying hungry.' she thought.

She furrowed her brow, she was close to the only piece of home that she knew, the vestige in which she had woken up. The only problem was the more she seemed to get closer, the more soldiers she was having to hide from. What was going on?

"Hey!" a voice from behind her made her freeze, her feet routing themselves to the ground. Her heart began thumping faster in her chest, a clear sign that she was scared. She hadn't heard them behind, but then again maybe she was in such a hurry to get somewhere safe that she had forgotten to look behind her. Either way she was in trouble.

Perhaps it would be like earlier, perhaps they weren't talking to her. Maybe if she stayed still and didn't answer they would carry on. She had only spoken to someone on Cocoon once, and that was Serah. A nice girl she had found after falling and grazing her knee.

Serah had helped her with kindness, far from what the rest of the Cocoon residents were like, even though it seemed a friendly enough town, she daren't even try and talk with anyone. She knew it was because Serah was different, she was like her.

She too held the brand of a l'Cie.

Willing her feet to move she took a few small steps forward, hoping that whoever had spoken wouldn't notice her creeping off. She cringed however when he just shouted louder.

"Stop!" he shouted, whipping round she met the black helmet of one of the soldiers she had spotted earlier. His gun was un-holstered, and the barrel was pointed exactly in her direction. She shivered, she couldn't read his actions, his eyes were concealed behind a black visor. Instead she let out a small squeak and ran forward, as fast as her unwilling legs would allow.

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted, she heard him start after her but realised she had the speed advantage. His heavy gear meaning he couldn't run with the same pace.

It didn't help her much though, as she rounded the next corner it seemed she ran headfirst into something rather solid.

The impact knocked her backwards and she fell to the floor with a thud. Looking up she closed her eyes as she saw she had run into another soldier. He drew his weapon too, reaching down he grabbed hold of her arm roughly and pulled her to her feet.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply, not letting go, just keeping hold tightly, hard enough she knew to leave bruises. She wiggled against his grip, hoping she could still get away, he was just too strong for her. It wasn't many seconds before the other PSICOM soldier caught up.

She didn't answer his questions, it was inevitable that she would be caught eventually.

"Answer me, what are you doing?" he said, more sharply, this time lightly shaking her at the same time. She looked up, she could feel her eyes stinging with tears. She didn't know what to do. Fang would have known what to do…

"I…" she began, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, her voice completely hitched. She couldn't tell them anything, what was she going to say? I'm a pulse l'Cie let me go? It just wasn't going to happen, the world was afraid. Afraid of her.

She in turn was afraid of it. She had already been told that Pulse l'Cie were put to death, put to death for simply being alive on Cocoon, for simply existing. It just wasn't right, then again, the same would have happened on Pulse with a Cocoon l'Cie. Her mind shot back to Serah.

What would happen to the young girl? Would she be killed in her own home? She shook her head, she should be more concerned for herself right now.

"She's not talking" one of the soldiers said to the other, clearly annoyed with her silence.

"The order was to shoot on sight…" the one holding her said, his voice emotionless, it was just like doing his duty. She didn't matter to him, she didn't matter to anyone.

"Make her talk" he said, pushing her forward at the other harshly. She soon found the painful grip on her arm returning as he grabbed hold. He nodded at his colleague. It was dangerous if she knew too much, besides. She looked like she didn't belong here, there was something different about her…

"When you're done, shoot her" the other said with a wave of his hand, "The lieutenant doesn't want anyone to know about this.." he nodded to the vestige, "Not yet anyway." he marched off quickly, throwing his weapon back over his shoulder.

"Who sent you?" the other soldier growled, his voice was a lower tone than the other, it sent an even colder shiver down her spine. He shook her a little more roughly.

"No… No one…" she said, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Then what are you doing here?" he asked, squeezing her wrist a little harder. She let out a small yelp and attempted to wiggle backwards. She wasn't going to tell him, she would die either way. She diverted her eyes to the floor and shuffled her feet, at least this way it would be quick…

"What are you doing?" a strong female voice made her look up sharply, she noticed too, by the fact that the soldier had dropped his grip slightly that whoever spoke had caught his attention too. She caught a glimpse of light pink hair and blue eyes all in a blur.

"Serah!" she said quickly, her voice hopeful, she was only aware afterwards that the woman was not Serah at all. She was alike, yet completely different. This woman was taller, her hair slightly shorter and brushed to the side. It was the perfect colour of Serah's yet styled differently. Her clothes were different and she gulped as she saw it was also a military outfit that the woman wore, however it didn't fill her with the sense of foreboding that the rest did.

It seemed she was talking to the other soldier, not her.

"What's it to you, your Guardian Corps, not PSICOM. This is our business" he growled, taking up his grip again quickly. Not wanting to let the young girl go.

So she was Guardian Corps. Serah had said that she had a sister in the army… so this must be Lightning…

"Your hurting her, I'd say that's my business…" Lightning answered, her voice strong yet it held a strange hint of concern, just like her sisters.

Lightning looked down at the young girl quickly. She had heard her say Serah's name, yet she couldn't remember seeing her before. She reached down and grabbed the hilt of her weapon, un-holstering it and pointing the blade in the PSICOM soldier's direction. She saw him gulp and take a quick step backwards. He had heard of Lightning, mot of the soldiers had. She was one of the best fighters the Guardian Corp's had ever seen.

"Let her go!" she growled, her voice suddenly low, she have him the same look she had given Snow earlier, this time however it seemed to have more of an effect.

He shook his head and pointed his weapon in her direction. Instead of looking scared like a normal person would if they were staring down the barrel of a gun, she gave a small grin.

"Wrong answer…" she whispered. Before the soldier had time to fire, Lightning had moved. She was directly in front of him, grabbing the barrel of his gun she yanked it forwards quickly, out of his hands. He let go of the young girl quickly, trying to grab his weapon back. Lightning shot to the back of him, she spun round low and took his legs out at the ankles, making him crash him to the floor.

The young girl took a few startled steps backwards, watching Lightning fight. She knew she should be running, but shock had not yet been replaced by adrenaline and she was rooted to the spot. Stepping backwards, she caught her foot on what seemed like the root of a tree and soon found herself back on the ground with a bump.

Lightning didn't allow the soldier time to get up, whipping her gun blade around she hit him hard across the back of the head with its hilt, he gave one last groan as his world spun and then went completely black. She had knocked him out cold.

"Like I said" she whispered. "Wrong answer"

She stood and looked at him for a few seconds, her expression confused. Just what were PSICOM doing here, and why the fascination with the young girl?

She looked over at where the girl resided. She noticed she was on the floor and quickly walked over, offering her a hand to get up.

"Are you alright?" she added, her voice now suddenly soft. She looked her over quickly, checking for anything that might require medical treatment. Seeing no blood she was convinced she wasn't hurt too seriously. Instead she took a moment to take in the girls features.

They were unusual, most of all her clothes, she had never seen outfits like this one on Cocoon. Her skimpy clothes were laced with beads and bracelets, and she noticed that the girl had a pelt of fur tied around her waist.

Her hair was a shocking red, almost bright enough to be orange, and as the young redhead looked up, she noticed her eyes were a bright emerald green.

The redhead hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to take the help Lightning was offering. She decided to, after all the older woman had just saved her life. Either way, she needed to get out of here, before the older woman started asking too many questions.

She took Lightning's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, more gently than when the soldiers had done it.

"Who are you?" Lightning asked, confused. What did the soldiers want from her?

"Vanille…" the young girl said, almost a whisper. It seemed her vocals still didn't wish to work.

"What were they after? PSICOM I mean?" Lightning asked she took a moment to notice the young girls accent, it was one she had never heard before. Why would PSICOM be after her? It didn't make sense. None of this did. Why were they even in Bodhum?

"I… I'm sorry.. I have to…" Vanille stuttered, she made a quick exit to the right past the pink haired soldier. She couldn't stay here, not with someone from the army. Lightning couldn't know who she really was. It was better this way. Lightning caught her arm lightly as she ran past, not stopping her completely but turning her around slightly. Vanille didn't stop, she just gave the soldier one last apologetic smile, her eyes holding a sadness that Lightning had never seen in anyone.

"Wait!" Lightning called after her… "You called me Serah? Do you know my sister?"

Vanille just kept on running, she noticed that Lightning made no attempt to come after her. For that she was glad, she didn't know what the Guardian Corps would do to her but she couldn't imagine that it would be any better that PSICOM, and the pink haired soldier seemed the type to follow protocol. She would have no option but to take her in should she know that she was really from Pulse.

It seemed she was just doomed to be alone on this planet.

"Wait…" Lightning let her voice trail off. The young girl was scared, of what she was uncertain. All she knew was it was probably better not to run after her.

Looking up at the sky, she let a sigh grace her lips, a confused thought running through her head.

'What the hell just happened?'

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Well, I thought I would give you all a fairly long chapter to kick-start this adventure : ) I shall be updating both of my stories regularly, so please tell me what you think and thanks for reading ! Oh and I apologise if there is any obvious mistakes, it seems my tablet computer refuses to let me send this to be checked over by a beta. (Sorry razorsedge1595!) It is just being stubborn. So I hold my hands up for any typo's or other errors you might find :$**


	2. Helping the Hero

**: ) **

**Well, perhaps it is going to take a little more for this story to take flight :$… hmmm, perhaps it is time to step it up a little then. Although it is nice that a couple of you took the time to comment, for that I thank you! **

**Feedback would be nice… good or bad, I don't mind… reviews make me update faster ;).**

**On with the story… enjoy!**

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><p>"Lightning! Lightning!"<p>

Lightning groaned as she rolled over and opened her eyes, darkness meeting them instantly. Either she couldn't see anything or it was in fact still night time. Looking over to her left she glanced at the clock situated on her bedside table. It was the annoying one that always woke her when she least wanted it to.

Its bright green lettering told her the time was 3.14am, far to early to be thinking about getting up for work, unfortunately she had her own personal alarm in the form of her sister.

She could hear Serah's hurried footsteps as she casually leapt the stairs two at a time, Lightning could count from each step just how many seconds it would be before the young girl came shooting through her door. The wood clunked with every step, it seemed to echo around the quiet house noisily.

'Three, two, one…' she whispered to herself, not even beginning to flinch when her bedroom door flung open, it went with force, slamming into the wall behind. Had Serah's shouting not already awoken her, that would have.

"Lightning, quickly…" the young girl began in a hurry, her breathing coming in gasps. Lightning rolled her eyes, what was it this time?

"What's the matter?" Lightning said, tiredness evident in her voice, she had been up late on an assignment, in fact, she had only arrived home a couple of hours earlier. She had thought Serah was out for the night.

"It's Snow, Light he's in trouble…" she said hurriedly, her voice teary.

"Hey slow down…" Lightning sighed, it didn't surprise her, it was only a matter of time before he got too in over his head.

"What do you mean in trouble?" she sighed again and pulled herself upright, instantly missing the warmth of her duvet. She shivered as cold air rushed past her shoulders, looping her arms around her legs she pulled them up for warmth. She preferred to sleep in just a plain tank top and shorts, it made putting her uniform on in a morning easier. She didn't have to worry about selecting an outfit, there wasn't anything different that she liked to wear. Not that she got much of a chance anyway. Unfortunately, it wasn't the warmest thing to be wearing at this hour.

Her eyes were finally beginning to adjust to the darkness and she could see Serah quite clearly now.

"I.. I don't know, he said he would be back ages ago, something about PSICOM…." Serah rushed her words, earning her a quick gesture by Lightning. She pointed towards the bed, willing her little sister to sit.

"Please tell me he isn't messing with the Sanctum…" Lightning sighed, she new this would happen, Snow just couldn't help himself, and now Serah was worried too. He was the wrong guy to be getting involved with, unfortunately Serah couldn't see it.

"Tsk, I knew he was trouble…" Lightning growled, giving Serah her best 'I told you so' look.

"Please, I need you to help me look for him…" Serah said, the tears she had been holding back freefalling.

"Serah, slow down, what do you mean look for him?" Lightning whispered, trying to keep the sound of annoyance from her voice. She had a long day ahead of her, the Guardian Corps were sending her on assignment for a few days. She was plenty used to nights away from home, and their assignments for her usually meant something dangerous that couldn't be sorted by anyone else. She never asked many details when it came to orders, she just liked keeping busy and following them. She didn't even want to think about it at the moment, it looked like any sleep was out the window.

"Serah…" she began, she knew it was a battle she wouldn't win so she was unsure of why she was trying.

"Claire, please…" Serah whispered, her best puppy dog eyed look flashing across her face. Lightning knew she was desperate when she called her by her original name, it was something she didn't do too often, Lightning had asked her not too, wanting to leave the past behind them. Yet she lacked the ability to get mad at Serah for doing so, the young girl said it with such emotion.

"He got himself into this mess" Lightning said, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. "Besides, you don't even know if he is missing, he probably just lost track of time, he's stupid enough after all…"

Serah shot a harsh look at Lightning's mocking of her fiancé, of course, Lightning still thought he was just her boyfriend. She had to find him, so they could tell Lightning together, even though there was something more important at hand, something she had been putting off too long. Telling her seemed dangerous, she could sense it leading to a big argument. Besides, she didn't want to tell Lightning without Snow, it just didn't feel right. He was willing to stick by her, no matter what, and that was enough courage for her.

She knew Lightning wasn't going to help her willingly, so she played the one card she had left…

"Fine, if you wont help, I'll go myself!" she said, her voice disappointed. She knew that by getting off the bed and sauntering to the door Lightning would sigh and give in. Even if Serah could go on her own, there was no chance Lightning would let her.

"Serah, wait…" Lightning sighed, she wasn't about to see her sister hurt for Snow, it was better for her to go and look for him herself, at least she knew what she was doing.

"Where was he going?" she said quietly, her voice softer. It still held a slight ring of annoyance, but perhaps not enough for Serah to pick up on.

"The Vile Peaks, something about a piece of Pulse on Cocoon, that's the only place we can think of that might have something like that, other than…"

Serah paused for a moment, her breath hitching. Telling Lightning that she knew about the Pulse Vestige would indicate that she had been there. She gripped the bandage on her arm tightly, she couldn't, not yet anyway.

"Other than?" Lightning continued, her voice raising in pitch. She raised a curious eyebrow, there wasn't another piece of Pulse on Cocoon, not that she knew of.

"N.. nowhere" Serah whispered, trying to cover her tracks. "That's why he went to the Vile Peaks, it's the only place we can think of PSICOM being, Snow just wanted to know what they were up to that's all, he overheard some things…" she paused again, unwilling to say the word 'purged'

"What things?" Lightning wanted to now all of the facts before she went looking for the man she hated.

"I.. I don't know, only Snow knows, and he isn't here!" the panic rose in her voice once again and Lightning sighed, she was never going to hear the end of this if she didn't go and look.

"Tsk, guess I'm not sleeping tonight then…" she whispered, her voice defeated. She could feel that Serah was covering her tracks, Lightning knew her too well. She was lying about something, either that or she was deliberately hiding something. She let it go for the moment. Unfortunately, she had bigger things to deal with. Like trying to find this idiot.

"Thank you!" Serah suddenly yelled, relief evident in her voice. Rushing forward she threw herself at her older sister, pulling her into a tight hug. Usually any contact and Lightning would have been pushing the person away, not with Serah, this felt perfectly normal. The one person on Cocoon who's company she liked.

"Okay, okay…" Lightning whispered, wrapping her arms around her sister and returning the hug, she forgot momentarily that it was the early hours of the morning, and that this was a crazy idea.

Yet for Serah, she would do anything.

* * *

><p>Her eyes scanned the ground with interest, taking in every sight they possibly could. The young man walking alone just underneath her was one of them.<p>

She didn't miss a heartbeat and had chosen her position carefully, she stood atop one of the piles of metal that could be found in the Vile Peaks. It was a structure composed solely from ruined parts of Pulse memorabilia. She recognised some pieces, they were from the old planet, structures that had been ruined in the war. Things she had grown up knowing, wrecked by the vipers on Cocoon.

The young man below her walked with a swinging stride, his long coat covering a well toned chest and strong arm muscles. He walked with pride, and a big hint of self confidence. She looked on with slight confusion. He didn't have the appearance of a military man, not as far as she had seen on Cocoon. Then again, she was no expert on Cocoon Intel, so he could be, she could never be too careful.

Watching him walk made a question cross her mind. What was he here for? It couldn't be the same as her could it? She felt her heart skip a quick beat, what if they got to her before she did? If they had followed some trail here and she had not yet seen what they had found?

Surely if they had information regarding Pulse l'Cie they wouldn't have let just one man follow the lead. The people here were just as scared of Pulse as Pulse was of Cocoon. Either way, she had to be sure.

Crouching down, she waited for the opportune moment. Silencing him now was the best thing, even if it was for a short while. She just needed a little more time to look around. As she watched him, she saw him increase his pace, almost as if he had seen something up ahead. Was he looking for something? Or more importantly someone?

This made her make her decision quickly, she could easily land on her feet from a fall this size, it would give her all the leverage she needed without being spotted first.

Taking him out was the only way, but trying to do it without him seeing her would be harder. If he was military and identified her it could be trouble. How was she supposed to search Cocoon if there were people searching for her? She just hoped Vanille had more sense than to make herself obvious.

Shaking her head she focused on the task at hand. She waited until he had just passed her hiding point and then quickly un-holstered her lance, taking it from its leather strap across her back. She ran her hand across the cool metal, feeling the inscriptions running along it. It had been by her side for many years, and had taken down bigger things than this lone man.

She lifted it above her head and spun it quickly, it was almost a pre battle challenge she seemed to do before using it. It wasn't something she even thought about, just a reflex she had picked up along with her fighting skills.

She stayed silent as she crouched down and swung herself from the top of her lookout point. Feeling the wind blow her dark hair back she smiled, here she was, alive and fighting on Cocoon. She had never felt so well, the only thing that could possibly have made it better was if Vanille was back by her side.

She would be soon, she was sure of it.

She landed gracefully, her sandaled feet biting into the ground and keeping her held, balanced and poised ready to wield her weapon. That she did. She raised it up before the man had a chance to look around and quickly brought it across her body, landing a glancing blow across the back of his head.

She smiled in satisfaction as he grunted and stood mesmerised for a moment, his vision dazed. Then his eyes closed and he crumpled forward into a heap before her, his large body hitting the ground with the force of an animal.

That would keep him quiet for a while.

* * *

><p>"Snow?" Serah's voice echoed around the empty part of Cocoon like wildfire, Lightning was sure it would wake every creature from here to Nautilus if she carried on. Instead she held out a hand to shush her over excited sister.<p>

"Serah!" Lightning scolded, her voice little more than a whisper, she wanted to stay quiet, something that was difficult with Serah here.

"Oh, right… quiet…" Serah whispered her voice apologetic. She was never very good at subtlety.

Lightning rolled her eyes. She had wanted to come alone, well no, she hadn't wanted to come here at all, it seemed that she was stuck on this journey. She just wished that Serah had stayed at home, her sister never was good at listening. The Vile Peaks were dangerous and Lightning knew she would be walking into potential danger, it was a good thing that her own senses were on alert.

Lucky for them they hadn't found anything at all yet, good or otherwise.

"Where could he have gone?" Serah whispered, a worried tone in her voice. "I didn't think he would stray this far in…"

"Yeah, well he never did have any sense…" Lightning huffed, trust Snow to ruin her night. It wasn't good enough that he was trying to ruin her life too.

Lightning found herself stepping with a little more caution without thinking, her weapon was already drawn however she gripped it harder, the top of her knuckles white. Her muscles were primed and ready to spring should she need them too, it was an action she knew all too well as a soldier.

Serah looked over at her sisters stance, everything about her screamed caution and professionalism. She just had the look of someone with survival skills. Serah half envied her, Lightning was the strong one, the one that could manage the weight of the world on her shoulders. Sometimes she wished she was half as strong, perhaps then she would have the courage to tell her the truth…

"Wait…" Lightning held her hand out quickly, her eyes better attuned to the darkness than Serah's. The sun would soon be surfacing, brightening the world, but for now darkness was still dominant, and there was a strange feeling in the air. Danger crackled through Lightning like electricity. There was something up ahead, and she wasn't sure what it's intentions were.

"Stay here…" she instructed. The last thing she needed was Serah waltzing forward into a trap. Serah nodded and raised her hands to her mouth in nervousness. She couldn't see anything but if Lightning said there was something wrong then there generally was.

Squinting through the darkness as she walked Lightning could just make out a dark shape on the floor. She couldn't quite see what it was but she had a feeling of uncertainty. As she made her way forward, the visuals came into view a little bit better and she could just make out the shape of a man. She sighed, that could only mean…

"Snow!" Serah yelled, running forward. Lightning looked back in annoyance, Serah had been stepping behind her the whole time. Did she never listen to instructions?

Serah rushed past her quickly, skidding to the ground next to Snow, ignoring the mud lacing across her knees.

"Careful!" Lightning exclaimed, worrying about scrapes and bruises, her protective side coming to the surface. Serah however was too concerned with the young man to pay any attention.

"Snow, Snow can you hear me?" She said loudly, her voice echoing. She turned him over gently and shook his shoulders. Lightning looked him over from a distance.

"He's out cold…" she whispered, what would do that out here? Surely not some kind of animal, he wouldn't be alive.

She found herself looking around her quickly, scared of what might be lurking, however she could see nothing.

Serah tried shaking him again, a little rougher this time.

"Ngh…" he groaned as he finally felt Serah's action, opening his eyes he blinked up groggily.

"Serah?" he whispered blurrily.

"My hero…" she replied, a smile showing through unshed tears. Lightning rolled her eyes and holstered her blade, crossing her arms she looked away, annoyed. How was he the hero exactly? They had just saved him…

"Lightning?" she heard quickly, Snow had seen just who had come to his aid.

"Tsk" she whispered, turning back around. "What were you…" her words were cut short by a glimpse in the corner of her eye. She found herself quickly going for her gun blade, finding its handle quickly and pulling it free of its restraints.

"Wh…?" Snow said goofily, looking the same was Lightning was, his eyes settling on a large metal form, something he hadn't seen before.

"Pulsework Soldier…" Lightning whispered, seeing his look of confusion. She had been her before on assignment. These were common in the Vile Peaks, their reputation for being hard to dismantle was strong. She had to agree, their armour made killing them a little bit harder. She had done it before, but never by herself.

"Keep quiet…" Lightning whispered, forgetting momentarily her hatred for Snow, protecting Serah was her main priority. Maybe if they kept low, it wouldn't see them. She knew it was a long shot, Serah's shouting had probably brought it here.

She knew as soon as she had thought it that it was too late, there would be a battle coming her way.

"Light look out!" Serah said quickly, her eyes fixed perfectly behind the soldier.

Lightning turned for a brief second, not wanting to take her eyes off her target too long, however it seemed they had bigger problems.

She didn't know if the bombs that floated around were Pulse related or not, until now she had merely seen them moseying about, and had never had the luxury of studying one, not that she ever wanted to.

Well, she would find out now, it seemed that wherever the strange little explosives went a Pulsework Soldier wasn't far behind. It was just unlucky that she only had her sister and Snow as battle companions. She looked down at her sister carefully, like that was going to happen.

She would have to deal with this one herself.

"Stay here" she growled to her sister, it was a warning this time. It meant that she really needed Serah to do as she asked, and for once Serah wasn't going to argue.

Instead, Snow attempted to pick himself up off the floor, realising he was to dizzy however he only managed halfway, not exactly a good condition for combat.

"Tsk, stay down" Lightning warned. "You'll just get in my way…"

With those words she was off, her gun blade held high. She didn't have much Intel on her enemies, she would have to figure that one out by herself, all she knew was strategy was important. There had to be a way to defeat these easier, and perhaps the little bomb would prove her right.

She headed for it first, taking a deep breath she let out a quick battle cry, alerting the creatures that she was the one interested in fighting, not the other two. Not that it would have mattered much to these creatures, they would have killed anything they could get their hands on.

Upon reaching the bomb she jumped forward in one fast motion and brought the blade across her body with ease, hearing the satisfying clunk of metal on metal. The vibrations it sent down the blade sent a shockwave down her own arm, spinning round to look at her target she could see a dent in its armour.

The bomb flew forward, it was faster than the Pulsework Soldier, which had not quite reached her yet, something she was thankful for. Fighting both of them would have proved difficult. Instead, she focused on moving out the way of the incoming attack, she knew that any contact would have been unpleasant. Luckily her combat training paid off and she was nimble enough to stay out of the way.

"Behind you!" she heard Serah yell out, for once she was grateful of her sisters company, she hadn't thought the other monster would have reached her so fast. She ducked out of the way just in time to see a metal arm flying her way, it missed her and managed to strike the bomb instead, denting the metal further. She smiled in satisfaction, she was enjoying this. If there wasn't so much at stake she would have perhaps had a little more fun.

The bomb floated forward for another attack, one which she sidestepped fairly easily. She noticed as it went past, that the whole surface of it seemed to be vibrating, giving off harsh tremors. Whatever it was doing didn't look good, Lightning new that many soldiers had been killed by one of these things self destructing.

Something she didn't wish to experience.

"Light look out, its gonna blow up!" This time it was Snows voice ringing in her ears, one she wasn't so happy to hear, besides it was information that she already knew. Instead of answering she shot forward, striking the metal object across the front and pushing it backwards onto the creature behind.

Upon it hitting the metal of the Pulsework Soldier, she found herself with her hands over her head, a bright orange light in front of her eyes. It was too bright to look at, and bits of debris came flying her way. She saw Snow wrap his arms around Serah for protection, something she was a little glad for. At least he had her back.

When the glow of the self-destruct died down a little, she glanced a look over at the soldier. Little sparks seemed to be erupting from the metal, it was staggered and seemingly damaged.

She thought quickly, running forward she managed a graceful well-timed back flip over its head, upon landing she brought her gun blade across, severing the wires that the stagger allowed access to. The creature gave one small swinging action with its arm and then exploded into sparks, its main circuit damaged.

Unable to function, it fell to the floor, defeated.

Lightning straightened up, her breathing a little harsher but she was by no means out of breath. Pushing her hair backwards she holstered her weapon in one quick movement, flipping it back into its case behind her knees.

She turned around to be greeted by a very open mouthed Snow, and Serah equally as much. She smirked at their reception to her actions and a thought crossed her mind.

'Perhaps that'll scare him away too'

Even as she looked on she knew, unfortunately that was not going to happen.

* * *

><p>It took Fang's mind several seconds to work out what just happened.<p>

As far as she knew, soldiers weren't supposed to be able to fight that well. Especially not against Pulse creatures, most people on Cocoon wouldn't have a clue where to start. Even she couldn't take down a Pulsework Soldier so fast. It seemed this woman was different, she moved with athleticism and speed, far from everyone she had currently seen on Cocoon.

She knew she should have been looking for Vanille, but seeing the fight before her rooted her to the spot.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. What was the soldier even doing here? Unless someone had tipped the authorities off about her, but that was impossible, she hadn't left any trail to follow. She had simply come here on the off chance that Vanille might have felt a connection to this place. Other than the Pulse Vestige in which they awoke, this was the closest place to Pulse that Cocoon was offering.

She could have been this mans back up, she had overheard his name, Snow, it didn't sound like a name of power. Then again, nothing on this planet was so simple. She scanned the ground to the woman knelt next to him, a girl with light pink hair and features uncanny to the soldier herself. She knew she had seen her before, it was the l'Cie they had found near the Vestige. What was she doing out here? She didn't look military.

The other woman however, Fang could identify as being a soldier, her uniform told her everything. Looking at their features she realised that the two women must be related, and the way the younger one clung to Snow, he was some importance too.

She was just about to make herself scarce when she overheard a piece of information she so desperately needed. It seemed they were arguing amongst themselves and if she listened hard enough she could catch what they were saying.

"What the hell are you doing out here." the soldier spoke harshly to the young man before her, it was evident in her tone of voice that she didn't care for him.

"I… I was looking for PSICOM" he said, scratching the top of his head in confusion. "I… I was following someone, a kid I think…. Then everything went black… I don't remember"

"A kid?" Serah asked quickly, "What would a kid be doing out here…?"

"Well she looked about your age, I didn't get much of a glimpse, just that she had red hair, I've never seen her around here before… I definitely don't think she's a part of PSICOM…"

Fang straightened up at his words, her heart feeling lighter. Was it possible that he was talking about Vanille? She listened even closer.

"Are you sure?" Lightning sounded annoyed, her tone lower and less friendly.

"I'm sure, I think she was heading back to Bodhum, at least that was the general direction… I don't know, I lost her and then someone hit me… I think…"

"Tsk, you probably just fell over and hit your head, but then again, I'm surprised the ground didn't lose…" Lightning looked confused, could it have been the same girl she had seen back in Bodhum?

"Lightning…" Serah whispered, shaking her head at her sisters mockery.

Fang looked away quickly, it looked like the trio would have to take their time getting back to Bodhum, she certainly hit Snow hard enough to give him a concussion. Even if he was hard headed, he should be shaky legged for a while. It would give her a bit of a head start, the last thing she needed was to bump into them further down the road.

She wasn't interested in what else they had to say, the only thing that was important to her was finding Vanille, before the soldiers managed to, if they discovered she was really from Pulse… She shuddered at the thought.

Now at least she had a place to start looking. She had searched the whole of Bodhum before, it was after all, the place that they had awoken. She didn't think Vanille would have strayed far. Perhaps she had just been unlucky. Either way, she needed to get out of here.

She gave one last glimpse down at Lightning.

With soldiers like her on their side, it looked like Cocoon had it better than she thought…

* * *

><p><strong>A.N… <strong>

**: ) My second chapter is done!**

**I wanted to introduce Fang to this one early too, I just thought it would be interesting to tie her into the plot line too. Although the chapters shall soon focus more on Lightning and Vanille, well with the exeptions of the others slightly I guess... I'm not going to ignore them completely don't worry! I also like the fact that I can write Serah into the story, another character that I am fond of... **

**Anyway, the plot gets thicker from here on in… dun dun dun. I'm not revealing too much, if you want to know more then you shall just have to keep reading wont you? **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review : ) Oh, and check out my other story, Journey to Freedom… (you never know, it might be to taste!) **


	3. Uncertain Feelings

**Hello! **

**Firstly, thank you very much for all your reviews! I wasn't expecting such a warm reception towards this piece! Thanks! **

**For everyone that hasn't stopped by my profile lately, I have a new story due to come out just after new year. You can find the summary on there, if you do so wish! Lastly, I apologise for the delay in posting this chapter, I am fully aware that it is a week late! However, I wished to post this chapter and the new one for **_**Journey to Freedom **_**together. That, and I didn't have internet due to unreliable technicians! **

**Rant over, and on with the story! **

**Enjoy! **

**XX**

* * *

><p>Lightning landed from the back-flip gracefully. Her army-grade boots steadied her against the hard tarmac quickly, allowing her to lurch forwards and lock blades with the young man in front of her. Pushing against his grip, she tested her muscles carefully. Her blade resided at chest height and her limbs shook with effort. Pushing the gun blade back from her body she gave one last shove forwards, sparks flying from both the swords violently.<p>

Flipping backwards once more, she drew some distance in between her and her target, allowing her time to narrow her eyes into a particularly harsh glare. Half spinning her blade above her head she waited for the soldier to rush forward, turning to a defensive action.

He collided with her sword hastily, his own blade buckling under the pressure of hers, she spun around, pulling her sword free she brought the hilt down hard in-between his shoulder blades. The man groaned and fell forward, bracing his arms out for impact. Rolling over quickly, he prepared to flip himself back upright. Lightning moved faster, throwing her weapon into the air and catching it lightly, exactly the right way up. Balancing it in one hand she pointed it downwards, the tip just inches from the young soldiers nose. He stopped his actions abruptly, not wanting to meet the sharp end of her sword.

A flicker of fear crossed his face and Lightning smirked, her enemy defeated. He raised his hands in surrender, his eyes fixed firmly on her weapon, so much so that his vision was almost blurred. Lightning left it where it was, just to pass her point a little further.

"Well done Sergeant." a man's voice spoke next to her and she was suddenly aware of another prescience by her side. Reluctantly holstering her weapon, she reached her hand down to the young man before her. He eyed her offer quickly, an untrusting look written on his features. He hesitated for a moment, before taking her hand and allowing himself to be hauled to his feet, somewhat roughly.

He gave her an annoyed look before turning away and making his way over to a small group of onlookers, all giving him a sideward's glance. He looked towards the floor, embarrassed.

Lightning turned to the weight of a hand on her shoulder, meeting the kindly eyes of Lieutenant Amodar.

"As you all see, fighting Soldiers is sometimes harder than expected." he addressed the small group of soldiers boldly, pride swelling in his chest at Lightning's actions. She was an unbelievable fighter, far beyond the standard grade soldiers. Her drive giving her a perfect advantage over the rest, he only feared that her boldness would see her in trouble one day.

"Don't feel too bad, Lightning is the best we have, completely undefeated. If you're lucky, you'll turn out the same way." He looked over at Lightning quickly, a confident expression written on her face. Lowering his voice slightly he spoke just to her.

"Although, sometimes even the best have to consider they might be out of their depth. Always keep your head down, and your eyes peeled." he spoke with meaning, and Lightning felt sure she saw a spark of concern behind his eyes.

Lightning frowned at his statement, confusion evident in her mind. What did he mean?

She didn't however, get the chance to ask him. Turning heel he walked back to the small group of men, all their eyes situated on the tough young woman in front of them. Many of the soldiers had seen her fight, though the ones that hadn't prayed to Etro they never would.

Unfortunately for the next unlucky soldier, prayers didn't grant him with his wish. Amodar pointed a finger at him next, sending him forward. His face drained of colour immediately. Lightning could almost see him shaking as he moved towards her, his sword being drawn slightly reluctantly.

Lightning breathed a heavy sigh, re-drawing her gun blade confidently she turned her attentions to the task at hand. Perhaps she could ask the Lieutenant later what he meant.

For now, at least there was something constructive to do.

* * *

><p>Vanille stepped into the small café with her fingers intertwined and her eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Her heartbeat was thumping nervously in her chest. She was suddenly all too aware of many sets of eyes upon her.<p>

Stepping forward she glanced briefly upwards, meeting several sets of faces. She wasn't aware of the fact that they weren't looking at her as a fugitive, more curiosity at her strange appearance. Ever since her meeting with PSICOM's soldiers, she had been more cautious.

Last night had been one of the worst, having not eaten for a few days she felt a little worse for wear, yet she hadn't dared to go into the middle of town again, there was too many military men floating around. She couldn't help but think back to the young woman that had helped her. To the woman that she now knew as Lightning. She was tempted, to start with anyway, to go and find Serah. At least the young girl was in the same position as her.

She didn't have any idea where to start, so she had come to the beach on the off chance. It was after all, the first place they had met. She just wished that Fang was here too, then finding food wouldn't be too much of an issue.

She didn't really know why she had stepped into the small café. She had no money, no way of purchasing any food should there be any. Perhaps it was simply the smell that drew her here, and the company of others. Walking forward she saw the young woman behind the counter look up, a smile crossing her face. Her hair almost the same colour as Fangs…

"Are you alright?" Her voice was kindly, holding a compassionate tone. She bounded forward, leaving the pot she had been stirring momentarily, ready to greet the young girl before her.

"You don't look so good…" she frowned quickly, overlooking the girls strange clothing and seeing the shy persona that lie beneath.

"I.." Vanille began. She stopped short, what was she supposed to say? Hi, I'm a Pulse l'Cie, I have no money but would like some food? What was she thinking coming here?…

She turned to leave quickly, perhaps she would just have to find some money somewhere, perhaps even turning herself in would earn her a meal. She was well and truly lost, lost with no way home…

"Wait!" Lebreau spoke quickly, leaving her cooking altogether she shouted a few things to one of her friends, demanding that they take over immediately. Vanille saw the young man roll his eyes, before sauntering slowly to behind the bar.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little rough…" Lebreau walked right up to Vanille and the young girls eyes immediately shot back to the floor, she could sense that the young waitress before her could read people well. She hoped that by looking away from her captivating eyes that she could avoid any awkward questions.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. You just… Well you look hungry, that's all…" Lebreau scratched her head with embarrassment, she hadn't meant for her words to offend, perhaps the young red-head just had the flu, either way, she looked like she needed some help.

"Here, sit down and I'll fix you something…" she pointed to the table next to her, pulling a chair out she gestured for Vanille to sit. Vanille looked up at her in surprise, her hands instantly shooting to her pockets. She had no way to repay the kind young woman.

Lebreau saw her actions quickly, raising more questions in her head.

"Oh, don't worry, its on the house…" she smiled nicely, noticing the scared expression across Vanille's face. She glanced backwards as she walked back towards the kitchen, meeting the young girl's gaze. Vanille had chanced a look up just as Lebreau looked back, but she quickly diverted her eyes back to the floor at the first sign of contact.

"Hmm…" Lebreau murmured to herself quietly. Just what was going on in this town? Thinking back a few days she had seen another strange woman, dressed in the same strange clothing, and with a different weapon fixed across her back. This woman however had walked with confidence. She had asked around, looking for her partner. Now that she thought about it, the young girl appearance was very fitting.

Being lost in thought for a few minutes she neglected to notice the door re-opening.

* * *

><p>Lightning had made the decision to visit Lebreau halfway through the day. She couldn't shift Lieutenant Amodar's words, she had a feeling something was off. His concern had confirmed it, he only spoke to her as such when he knew she would go rushing on in. Yet that concern just had her feeling more curious, she never could sit still and pretend everything was alright when it wasn't. She felt like she had to do something, she just wasn't quite sure what.<p>

She had toyed with the idea of coming here before she made the journey. She hated talking to the residents of Bodhum any more than she was forced, however Lebreau occasionally overheard important information. Running a popular café in a small town had its benefits sometimes. Perhaps after their conversation on the beach, if you could call it that, Lebreau would have kept her ears open for any PSICOM activity.

It hadn't taken her many minutes to cross the small town, walking down the sand she kept her head low, the last thing she needed was to bump into someone else that she didn't want to speak to. She half hoped that Serah would be down here, it had been a long time since they had spent some casual time together, it would have been nice to spend a few minutes with her sister. She sighed heavily, perhaps that was the way it would be now, what with Snow on the scene and everything.

She took a deep breath before stepping through the busy doors of one of her least favourite places, the café was always packed and people always whispered as she passed. Some of their opinions of her being negative. Not that she minded, people could talk.

She didn't bother to look around as silence fell throughout the café, she could feel several sets of eyes burning into her skin. She found herself slightly wondering whether they greeted everyone that way, or whether it was just her. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she approached the bar, locking her eyes on the young woman busy in the kitchen.

"Hey, Lebreau." she half-shouted. Leaning against one of the bar stools she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive manner, indicating that thins wasn't a social visit.

"Lightning!" The young waitress sounded surprised, once again abandoning her cooking she bounded to the front happily, just the bar table between them.

"Calm down, I just came to ask you a question." Lightning sighed, since when did she come for a drink anyway? Not for a long time now.

"Oh, okay, I guess. What do you want to know?" Lebreau sounded a little disappointed, Lightning never seemed to want to speak to her unless there was some pressing matter to deal with.

"Have you heard anymore about PSICOM?" Lightning got to the point straight away, not wanting a full on conversation halfway through her working day, she didn't have the time.

"No, well not really. I've seen them about here and there, a few of them came in here for a drink a couple of hours ago. They mainly keep themselves to themselves and Snow hasn't been looking for trouble after his little scare in the vile peaks." Lightning smirked at her words, it was good to see that he wouldn't be forgetting that one any time soon.

"So, nothing else? Didn't you hear what they were talking about?" Lightning tapped her foot impatiently, a little annoyed at making the trip for no reason. It was a waste of time coming here…

"Oh, now that you mention it, they were talking about Pulse…" Lebreau added, she looked downwards, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Pulse?" Lightning asked, suddenly more interested. "What were they saying?"

"I didn't catch much, just something about Pulse here, in this village. It kinda didn't make sense, so I left them to it. I think they were a little cautious about me watching them anyway. No wonder, those guys aren't to be messed with. Snow proved that."

"Tsk…" Lightning looked away quickly, the Lieutenant's warning running through her head. Something just didn't sit right.

"Well, thanks." Lightning added, meeting the girls eyes quickly.

"No problem, I guess I better get back to this…" she nodded towards the kitchen, "The poor girl looks like she hasn't eaten for months…" she nodded in front of her quickly, gesturing for Lightning to look behind her too. Lightning turned around, allowing Lebreau to see the empty table.

"Huh, well that's strange, she was right here…" Lebreau whispered, suddenly baffled.

"Who was here?" Lightning asked, suddenly curious.

"I don't know, this girl came in. Bright red hair, strange clothes. She looked kinda rough… Well, I guess she couldn't stick around." she smiled quickly at the pink-haired soldier.

"Well, I better get back anyway, sorry Light."

Lightning frowned at the shortening of her name, usually it was just her friends that got the privilege of abbreviating it, she hardly saw Lebreau as a friend. Yet the waitresses words had troubled her more, what was the girls name?

Vanille. That was it.

She was the only person that fit that description. So she was still in town huh? She had hoped that coming here would answer more questions, instead more swirled around her head. Sighing she turned to leave.

She still had half the day to go…

* * *

><p>Vanille's heart had skipped a beat as Lightning crossed the café floor. Making herself as small as possible she prayed that the older woman didn't turn around and see her. She could really use avoiding any questions right now…<p>

She breathed a sigh of relief as the woman passed, her attentions focused on the kind young woman behind the bar. She caught a quick name, Lebreau. That must be the waitress's name. Lightning had placed her arms across her chest confidently, calling the woman to her. Vanille had to stop for a second, now that she finally had a chance to study the older woman's features.

She was quite like her sister, although taller and her hair was cut slightly shorter. Instead of the frail-looking exterior, Lightning modelled one of confidence, her frame perfectly adapt to her soldiers position. Vanille could see why she was well known, ever since she had seen her fight she knew she was perhaps not someone to cross.

She listened to their conversation carefully, only managing to catch glimpses here and there. She fidgeted her feet nervously, her stomach growling at her. She just placed her hands on her middle and ignored it. She knew she would need to leave before the soldier spotted her, although she could quite bring herself to do it yet.

Something about the woman before her was mesmerising, she felt the need to fix her eyes to the soldier's strong frame and leave them there.

She blinked from her stare however, when the word Pulse was mentioned. Her heart skipped a beat once more, did they know? She had to try and slip out unnoticed.

Reluctantly she raised herself up from the table as quietly as she could, not that it would have mattered much. The café was loud enough for her to slip away quickly. She almost felt the will to stay but decided against it. Just like she had when the soldier had saved her skin.

Perhaps she could find another place to eat.

Dashing from the table she bolted for the door, walking with haste yet not fast enough to draw any unnecessary attention her way. She was fighting the urge to break into a run, needing to get away. She breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped out in the open air unseen, salty sea breeze meeting her face. She scanned across the sand quickly, hoping to see another pink-haired figure, or even better, Fang.

Her heart weighed heavy when she saw neither women. Reverting her eyes back down she allowed her zombie-like feet to carry her along the sand, her pace slowing as soon as she felt far enough away.

It seemed she was alone, again.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Now before you mention it, I know that this chapter is a little shorter. I wanted to post this with the next chapter, it was going to be one very long piece. However, I felt that this worked better, putting a break in the middle. Now hopefully I should have the next chapter up on Sunday since it is already written. I thought I would give you all the chance to read this one first, otherwise I would have posted both of them tonight!**

**Anyway thanks for reading! **


	4. Seeking Answers

**Heya Guys! **

**I'm back!, I was originally going to post this tomorrow, but since its Christmas and all, (ahem, I kind of forgot…) I decided to post it on Christmas eve. **

**I want to thank you all for your kind words, I believe the only person I haven't been able to thank personally is TheNomade5.… thank you for your loyalty and following both of my stories. Hopefully **_**Journey to Freedom **_**should be updated before new year… **

**Anyway, here is the next chapter. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! **

**Enjoy. **

**XX**

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><p>"Serah, come on. Why can't you just tell me now?" Lightning crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance. Allowing her light-pink hair to fall over her face she scowled slightly, giving the best impatient look she possibly could.<p>

Serah put her hand firmly on her hip in response, a slightly nervous look written in her eyes. She so desperately wanted to tell Lightning the truth, about everything. She couldn't though, not without Snow.

"Tomorrow, I promise…" Serah whispered. Lightning had asked her what was wrong and she was completely unsure how to respond. Lightning knew something was bothering the youngest Farron, yet it was evident the young girl wasn't sharing.

"But tomorrows…"

"Your birthday, I know. You didn't really think I would forget did you?" Serah giggled, trying to change the subject. She had promised her fiancé that she wouldn't breathe a word to her sister until he was by her side. Reaching a hand around she grasped the bandage on her arm tightly. Something that Lightning frowned at. She dropped the contact immediately, not wanting to make things too obvious.

"You never did tell me what happened…" Lightning whispered softly, her hard exterior gone when she was talking to the younger girl. She didn't need to keep up appearances here, not with Serah.

"I told you, it's just a scratch, I'm fine…" Serah said sharply, perhaps more than she had intended.

"Hmmm…" Lightning left the subject for the time being. She had a busy day ahead, tonight was Bodhum's famous fireworks festival and she was on guard duty. She rolled her eyes at the thought. Being amongst a lot of people was the last way she wanted to spend her time.

"Aren't you going to be late?" Serah said quickly, glancing at the clock. Lightning was never late for work, it was the one thing she actually liked doing, or so Serah thought. She didn't know that Lightning was trying her hardest to put off the day.

"Hmmm… I suppose." Lightning sighed, glancing at the clock herself her heart sank.

"I'll walk with you, I have to meet Snow anyway…" Serah smiled kindly at her older sibling, Lightning's expression back wasn't perhaps so bright.

"Tsk, your spending the day with that idiot?" She said sarcastically, her mood not improving.

"Well I can hardly spend the day with you can I?" Serah sounded annoyed as she spoke, it was true and Lightning did feel guilty about the lack of time they seemed to spend together. She would make it up to Serah soon.

"I guess not." Lightning sighed, grabbing her gun blade holster she carefully secured it on, so that it rested in its usual place, just behind the crook of her knees. Things would be a lot simpler if the young NORA leader had never set eyes on her sister. She guessed it was partly her fault, she never had a gap in her schedule to spend much time at home. If it wasn't for Serah, she would be quite happy to spend her birthday working. At least then she wouldn't be bugged. Yet Serah had insisted she take the day off, having some big dinner planned for the both of them. Lightning didn't even want to think what else.

Her birthday was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

><p>Vanille could sense something big was going to happen.<p>

Cocoon was buzzing with activity, everyone rushing around madly. Crowds of people just shopping, talking, laughing…

For once, nobody seemed to be paying much attention to her as she walked down the street. They simply glanced over her strange appearance and smiled kindly, too full of frivolity amongst themselves to be paying much attention to her. She noticed even the soldiers seemed to be ignoring her. She furrowed her brow, confused.

Not that she minded much, in fact it was a relief to be invisible for once. She was just wondering why. All the other days people had been staring madly at her. She noticed a small group of teenagers stood nearby, hustled together and talking. Deciding they might be here for whatever event was going on, she crept a little closer to try and overhear a little of their conversation.

"I can't wait for the fireworks, I'm going to make so many wishes…"

"Me too, I've never been to Bodhum before, I've been looking forward to this for months…"

"Yeah well, I'm going to spend it with my Mom, her idea apparently…" the young boy closest to Vanille spoke quietly, hoping his voice wouldn't actually reach the ears of the people around him. He didn't want to seem like a wuss. Luckily, they all seemed to excited to notice what he had just said.

Vanille crept a little closer, hoping to hear more. It was nice just to be around people.

The boy turned around quickly, noticing her prescience. It seemed everyone else just carried on talking, completely unaware of her listening in. She took a quick step backward, his light blue-green eyes biting into hers.

He only looked young, perhaps younger than the rest of the small group. His light silver hair made him stand out from the crowd, that followed by the bright colours he was wearing. She noticed the small smile he tried to give her, but backed away slowly. He seemed nice enough, well from first appearances anyway, but would it really be wise to talk to him?

She was longing for some company, it seemed like ages since she had had any contact with people at all. It couldn't hurt could it?

"Earth to Hope…"

One of the other boys called his name and his head snapped back, his eyes leaving Vanille's quickly, for a minute they had her completely captivated. Giving her an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

She turned away too, saddened slightly. It would have been nice to have a little interaction with someone. Perhaps this was for the best, she needed to continue her search for Fang.

She came here every day, now that she felt a little more confident that the whole of Cocoon wasn't looking for her, she felt a little more at home. It would just have been better if Fang had been with her, perhaps whatever was going on that night would have been fun to watch together.

She decided a while ago that she was going to do nothing, her focus didn't matter. Perhaps being a Cie'th wouldn't be too bad, at least then she wouldn't be out to hurt anyone, even if her focus still demanded it. She released a sigh, her feet just marching her forwards while her mind mulled over everything.

There just seemed to be the standard military here, not like the ones that had recognised her, not the men in black helmets. Just the Guardian Corps. Yet they too were out in force, the guard duties mush have at least doubled. They didn't make her too nervous, after all she had been saved by one of them, so how bad could they be?

She found herself silently wishing that she would see Lightning, it seemed that, ever since she had first met the older woman, she couldn't keep her out of her thoughts. Ever since she had locked eyes with the soldier's baby blues she was caught, even though she knew it was too dangerous to actually speak with her, she would have liked another glimpse in her direction. Of all the people she had met on Cocoon, Lightning was perhaps the most intriguing. More so than her sister, Serah.

Serah was kind, helpful, everything you would expect a l'Cie not to be, yet Lightning… Lightning was completely different, Vanille had seen that from the first moment she saw her. What she saw was a soldier, a determined individual burdened by some kind of force, not a focus, but a driving force none the less. If it hadn't been for a lack of a brand, she would have said Lightning was more of a l'Cie than her sister, she just fitted the mould well.

It made her that little bit more interesting.

As she walked on, she somehow managed to snap herself out of her daydream, noticing that this part of town seemed to be even busier. Some of the people rushing past her seemed like they too, had no idea where they were going. Vanille had managed to get her bearings a little around Bodhum, she could find a few places fairly easily. Especially the beach and the back to the Vestige, a journey she was making everyday.

She couldn't go right into the Pulse Vestige, there was too many soldiers rushing around, however she found herself back there every night. In hope that Fang might come back, looking for her. She had after all promised she would find her, and Fang never broke her promises, no matter how difficult they might be.

As she walked, she didn't notice the lone soldier behind her, one that as she walked past, recognised her appearance. Curling his fist up angrily, he scowled behind his helmet. From the moment he had first seen her, he knew what she was, where she was from. She didn't belong here, Cocoon had no place for people from the lower world, at least that was his own opinion. She must have been from Pulse, having caused the incident at the Gorge.

Setting off behind her, his eyes boring into the back of her head he smirked. He would follow her until they were away from the crowds.

She wouldn't get away this time…

* * *

><p>Lightning was quite enjoying the walk across town. Spending a little time with Serah was compensation for the crowded streets and all the madness around her. In fact, she hardly noticed when an elderly man bumped into her. Instead of telling him to look where he was going she brushed it off, not half as annoyed as she would have usually been.<p>

Looking over at Serah she smiled quickly. Serah's eyes were bright, her attitude lighter than it had been for a while. It seemed she too was looking forward to the firework festival.

Little did Lightning know that it was because she was going with Snow, Serah had agreed to meet him tonight as well, since Lightning had to work.

They had made the trip across town almost in silence, only stopping to say the odd thing here and there, Lightning didn't mind, it was good enough just to be in her sisters company for a while. However Serah was the first to break the quiet atmosphere between them, a question in her head.

"Say, Claire? What are you going to wish on?" she said suddenly. She clasped her hands behind her back, walking along with a happy swinging stride, she was curious. What did Lightning really want?

Lightning was taken aback for a second, she hadn't planned on wishing on the fireworks at all. She didn't really believe in all that stuff, she knew Serah did, yet it hadn't worked the last time she had made a wish…

"Tsk, I'm not…" she replied, through lack of another explanation.

"Oh come on, surely?" Serah sounded surprised, everyone wished on fireworks…

"Really, I don't believe in all that. You know I don't." Lightning rolled her eyes in the typical manner. Turning away from her sister she scanned the crowd quickly, not liking the current conversation. She was counting in her mind the people milling around. She was half hoping it wasn't going to be that busy later. Yet she knew it was wishful thinking, Bodhum would be heaving. Locking her eyes on a certain figure she felt her heart flutter slightly, an involuntary action that did so without her thinking.

She caught a slight glimpse of red hair through the milling people.

Serah was still talking next to her, but she wasn't listening, not anymore. Perhaps if she caught up with the young girl she would get some answers, seem as though she didn't get time to talk to her before. Then again, the situation in which they had first met didn't really count as a proper introduction. There was something about Vanille that was calling her…

She suddenly remembered that Vanille had mentioned Serah's name, perhaps now was the perfect opportunity to find out how they knew each other.

"Serah…" Lightning cut her sister off mid speech, and Serah stopped talking abruptly, annoyed at Lightning's outburst.

"That girl, how do you know her?" she nodded towards Vanille, the young girl still some distance from them.

"Oh, Vanille? I met her on the beach, she hurt her leg and I helped her. We talked for a while…" she looked over at her sister confused.

"Why do you ask?"

"I met her the other day, I was trying to find out what was going on with PSICOM…" she paused for a second, knowing that Serah would disapprove of her sticking her nose into Sanctum business. So she continued quickly, before Serah go the chance to answer back .

"One of the soldiers had hold of her, I think he really meant to hurt her too. I just wondered what you knew, when I turned up, she spoke your name…"

"Oh, I guess she must have thought you were me…" Serah whispered, confused. Why would PSICOM be after Vanille? She hadn't done anything wrong, the girl was too nice.

"Did she say anything?" Lightning asked, "She ran off when I tried to talk to her, I just thought she was shy…"

"Hmmm…. She didn't seem very shy to me. In fact she was quite open. All I know was she was looking for a friend, that's all she told me. That and that she had something important to say and couldn't find the words. I just told her to face it later…"

"Hmm, something doesn't sit right, it doesn't explain why Sanctum soldiers would be after her…" Lightning scanned the crowd again, her eyes sitting back on Vanille. She was walking along quite happily, she certainly didn't look like someone that would be in a lot of trouble… Whatever was going on in Bodhum, could it be linked with this girl's sudden appearance?

What she saw next made her heart skip faster, taking her eyes off the young girl she saw another familiar figure. The only PSICOM soldier that she had seen today, squinting at his back, she took in his movements. His build and the way that he walked was perfectly familiar. His eyes were locked in front of him, focused on the person that she had been looking at just moments before. From what she could see he marched along in anger, his sights set on the young redhead.

Glancing over at Serah she whispered quickly.

"Serah, I need you to get out of here…" She hovered her hand above her gun blade quickly. He wouldn't start trouble here, but he would wait until they were out of town, if indeed that was where Vanille was heading. She had to make sure. Whatever was going on, she felt a sudden urge to protect the young girl.

"Claire… what?" Serah asked, suddenly puzzled. She saw the way her sister was stood, almost in a battle stance.

"I need you to go, that soldier…" she nodded in front of her. "That's the one I fought, I think he's following her…"

"But…"

"No buts Serah, just… please. Go find Snow." she said sternly, Serah looked at her quickly, her eyes wide. It must be bad if Lightning was telling her to be in Snow's company…

"Be careful…" she whispered, her sister knew what she was doing. As much as she didn't like it, Lightning could probably handle the situation better if she wasn't there. She just found herself hoping that Vanille didn't get hurt in the process, she had liked the young redhead.

Touching her sisters arm lightly, she slipped away. Giving one last glance back, she disappeared in the direction of her fiancé's.

Lightning didn't turn at Serah's touch, she carried on forwards. It could be bad if she took her eyes off her target. She wanted answers, and now was the perfect time to get them. Either from Vanille, or from the soldier. She knew which one would be more fun. She was however, very glad that Serah had done as she asked, she hated Serah being in trouble. Not that she intended to put anyone in any danger.

Quickening her pace, she was determined to stay just a little behind them, it was however easier said than done as she pushed her way through crowds of people. Getting into work on time was now the last thing running through her mind.

She had to find out what was going on.

One way or another…

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Heyyy! **

**Well, it's done, hmm. I think it works a bit better this way. Split from the other chapter I mean. **

**Well, thanks again for all the reviews on the last chapter, it was very nice. I apologise that this one is a little short again, although I do promise you a bit of interaction in the next chapter. : ) **

**Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	5. A Surprise Rescue

**Heya! **

**So I'm back! I know what you are going to say : ) I've taken my time to update this story right? Well, my apologies, I had to go away with work for a week to a horse sales and had no form of writing, bar in my head of course! So this chapter wrote in my head whilst I was walking around a collecting ring! **

**Enjoy! **

**XX**

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><p>The world was ever so slightly fuzzy. Either that, or her eyes were deceiving her.<p>

Vanille blinked in a dusk light as she forced her eyelids to flutter open, it was however strange, she couldn't remember falling asleep. In fact, she was sure she hadn't even got back to the Vestige yet.

She groaned as a wave of nausea came across her, her head pounding unnecessarily. The double vision wasn't helping with her focus either, in fact it was making her dizzier. Grabbing her focus and looking around she noticed that surprisingly she was in the Vestige, the very place she had been heading for. It was exactly the same room as when her and Fang had first woken up…

Her heart skipped a beat excitedly, she scanned around, willing Fang to have been the one to bring her here. Her expectations sunk quickly however, when she noticed another figure instead.

It was then that she realised she was indeed, immobile. She was sat upright, her back against something cold. Moving her legs, she found that they were bound skilfully together, a tight rope painfully laced around her ankles. Panicking she tested her hands and felt the same rope bite, sharp against her wrists. She wiggled them harder, earning nothing but a slight rope burn, making her cringe. She glanced around, as far as her head would allow in the current situation. She noted that she was tied against some kind of statue, of what she couldn't determine, it didn't matter anyway.

She was stuck.

"I see your awake." the voice, ringing through the darkness struck a fearful note through her. Shivering, half through uncertainty and half through the temperature drop she snapped her eyes upwards. Right as a familiar soldier stepped from the darkness.

She attempted quickly to get her hands into some kind of spell casting shape, realising that they were tied too tightly together. Had they been tied differently she would have perhaps been able to summon some kind of element to cut her bindings, followed by some kind of healing magic to stop the ringing in her head.

"I don't think so l'Cie. You don't think I would actually let you cast magic did you?" He growled, hatred in his voice. She shuddered again, this wasn't good.

She knew that this soldier knew what he was doing, most people wouldn't have given much though to how she should be tied, they must have been studying the way her magic worked. She frowned for a second, wondering if they had been watching her, but then again, she hadn't used much magic on Cocoon, except for lighting a campfire and summoning water.

She hated to think they had been spying on her, and she had been walking around so freely. She suddenly cursed herself for being so foolish.

"What do you want here l'Cie?" he asked, stepping forward so his form was free of the holding shadows, so she could look upon his blank helmet fearfully. He narrowed his eyes behind the tinted visor, some satisfaction at his actions apparent. Vanille sighed, that's why she couldn't remember arriving back at the Vestige he must have been following her, looking for the perfect moment to attack and knock her out cold.

It would explain the headache.

Leaning backwards as much as possible, until her back hit the cool rock she closed her eyes, trying to dismiss the sickly sensation that fell across her. She didn't answer his question, he wasn't an ally so why did it matter? If it was death or Cie'th she wouldn't remember much anyway, the way the end came didn't particularly matter.

Of course she knew he had no intention of killing her. Not yet anyway. After all, what use was she dead? Dead she couldn't talk, and knowing Cocoon soldiers, stilling her tongue would be the last thing on their list. They would want to know exactly what part of Cocoon she was planning on destroying, because to them, that was all she was capable of.

"Speak l'Cie… Why are you here?" He said, his voice harsher than she expected, usually they liked to play nice for a little while, after all. She had seen people on her own planet tortured before. They would usually give a l'Cie the chance to make a statement, to come clean as such. She didn't stop to think that he was still mad at her previous escape.

She ignored the question again, knowing that it would make him angry. However hard her heart was beating, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of complying.

"I said speak!" he yelled suddenly, rushing forward he landed a sharp backhand across her face.

Giving a small squeak at the contact she felt tears instantly prick her eyes, as the stinging sensation across her cheek grew. She looked back up at him quickly, her eyes narrowing. She tried to put on a brave face, but really she knew he could see through the façade.

"I know what filth like you are here for… Cocoon will never bow down to scum from Pulse. Never." he whispered, his face just inches from hers. She turned away at his breath, hot against her face.

"I'm not here for Cocoon." she spoke quietly, her eyes averted away. She had no intention of harming Cocoon in anyway, after all she had no way back to Pulse. She would be spending her last days on this planet, and then it would be Cie'th central. Then there would be some kind of soldier hunting her, hunting the monster she had become.

Her mind flashed to the pink-haired soldier and she cringed. Perhaps Lightning herself, the woman that had saved her life would be the one to end it all. She just hoped she didn't fight back much, she would hate to cause the older woman harm in her monstrous state. She shook her head, it looked as if she would never get that far anyway…

"I don't believe that." He snorted ignorantly. She felt his eyes burn across her skin as he scanned for whatever piece of her body her brand was located on. She felt herself grin slightly, as his eyes found nothing.

'Yeah, good luck.' she thought. Her mark wasn't exactly in an obvious place.

"With or without a brand, I know your still filth…" he whispered, his voice holding a joyous ring that Vanille didn't like one bit. He was enjoying every second of this, she had thought that Gran Pulse was full of monsters, in reality. Here they were, on Cocoon.

"I need a game plan, and if you don't wish to tell me, things are going to get unpleasant." he narrowed his eyes again, half-hoping that she wasn't going to speak. Things were so much more fun when that happened. She turned her face away, falling silent once more.

"Wrong answer…" he sneered. Straightening up he turned and walked away, through the only exit that the Vestige offered. Walking to the door she heard him speak something low, just out of her earshot.

The hinges creaked as the door swung open, a figure blocking out the low afternoon sun. She squinted, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever might be stood before her. Her heart sunk as what appeared to be another soldier walked into the room. This soldier was dressed differently, a bigger kind of firearm thrown across their soldier. She found herself involuntarily gulping as she also glimpsed the blade they had held by their side.

So it wasn't enough for one person to confront her now? Now he needed help? She felt herself thinking back to Fang, glad that she wasn't here for once. Glad that she could avoid all of this… at least she was safe.

Because whatever was happening now, it didn't look brilliant. The solder strode closer, they too were dressed in black. This one walked with a certain confidence, an understanding in their power that Vanille hadn't seen in the rest of the PSICOM soldiers. As the soldier moved closer, she leaned her head back once more against the statue, closing her eyes again.

Better to get it over with.

* * *

><p>Lightning attempted to keep her footstep noise to a minimum, even her heavy army boots couldn't prevent her from being light on her feet. Something that in the current situation, was rather helpful.<p>

Sneaking up behind the next unsuspecting solder she acted quickly. Finding the exact point she was looking for, she raised the hilt of her gun blade, bringing it crashing down across the right part of his neck.

She looked on in satisfaction as he gave a small groan and fell, face first into the dust.

Breathing a sigh she composed herself, straightening up, her eyes fell upon the bulk of the Pulse Vestige. Until now, she hadn't been able to get within a mile or so of the strange looking piece of Pulse. Now it seemed all the soldiers were gathered within a few hundred metres.

She knew exactly why. Vanille.

She had followed the young girl as far as she could, her curiosity at why PSICOM were interested in her getting the better of her. She had however, lost the trail as they got closer to the Vestige. Then she had been cut off by soldier after soldier. She was lucky that her stealth skills were well defined, it was an advantage to take her enemies down quietly.

The only explanation was that they had Vanille in there somewhere, why else would PSICOM be guarding it so well? And why else would a PSICOM soldier have followed her here?

It wasn't as if nobody knew that the Vestige was here, the whole town was buzzing with news of Pulse. It just made her wonder why the young girl was so important, and why they were so interested in her.

The only way to see for herself was to get closer, but that would be suicidal if she tried to simply walk in the front door. Sneaking forward slightly, so her back was covered by a rather large oak tree, she squinted around, her mind counting the number of enemies that guarded the area.

Thirty-two.

She sighed heavily, there was too many to fight. Even for her.

Then her eyes set upon two solitary soldiers, they were positioned closer to her than the others, close enough for her hearing to clamp in on the conversation they were having.

"Lieutenant. Your prescience is requested." the shortest of the two soldiers greeted the larger member of their little group. Lightning could see from a distance that his armour was different, instead of being clad in leather, he boasted metal inserts in his uniform, across his shoulders and chest. He had a powerful looking firearm thrown over his shoulder, a webbing strap holding it in place. It looked far from the standard weapons that ordinary soldiers were issued with…

"They have her?" he said quickly, his voice full of authority. Lightning saw the other soldier nod discretely, oblivious to her eyes upon them. She smirked slightly, these soldiers obviously didn't have the kind of skill she possessed. She could feel a set of eyes on her skin from a mile away.

"Quickly then. Pikes is going to have all the fun otherwise, after all. The scum never talk…" Lightning frowned at his tone, it was almost as if he was enjoying the situation. A cruel ringing in his voice.

She was perfectly glad that she hadn't become a Sanctum soldier, their methods were just far too extreme. She could imagine, from the tone he held that they were seeking information, and PSICOM only knew one way of getting what they wanted…

She had to help Vanille, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Forcing her feet forward she crossed the space between them quickly. Placing her gun blade forward across her chest she readied herself, a plan forming in her mind. She would only get one shot at this, but maybe if she was lucky she could pull it off. The man outweighed her but she had the speed advantage…

She had just found her way in…

* * *

><p>Vanille cringed as the soldier approached her, their swinging stride making her completely nervous. She found herself fighting her restraints quickly, twisting her hands around to try and slip them free of their knots. There was only slight movement, other than the rope leaving marks in her skin it was doing no good. Even though her wrists were beginning to sting she continued, fighting her captors. Their shadow loomed closer, magnified in the strange dawn light. She looked down quickly, trying not to meet their gaze.<p>

"If you wont talk of your own free will, I guess we're going to have to make you…" the first soldier sneered, feeling nothing but hatred towards the young redheaded l'Cie before him. He didn't see a scared young woman, all he saw was a target, a threat.

It was the perfect opportunity to do something heroic, after all, he would be the first in line for a promotion. If he could just get her to talk.

"Lieutenant, shall we?" he asked, walking forward so that his shoulder was almost touching that of the other. Looking up into helmeted eyes he suppressed a smile, completely unaware that he wasn't looking into the eyes of an ally…

"Lets…" the figure whispered. Vanille snapped her eyes back up, leaving the spot on the floor that they had been admiring. She stopped wiggling instantly. It was far from the burly voice of a soldier, it was one that was perfectly recognisable.

The soldier that had just walked in spun around quickly, pulling their sword from its holster they struck out quickly, heading for the other man's body. Vanille shrunk backwards as an orange glow met her eyes, a sight of swords clashing together, producing sparks from both metals.

The PSICOM soldier stumbled backwards in surprise, only just having time to pull out his sword and block the sudden attack. Pushing backwards his limbs were shaking from the effort of the attack, that's when he realised that it wasn't his Lieutenant he was fighting with…

Losing the strength advantage against the other, the PSICOM soldier soon found himself stumbling backwards, his limbs giving way and landing him on the floor, narrowly avoiding the other's blade as it crossed his body. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of baby-pink hair as the person before him pulled their helmet off…

Vanille's eyes widened quickly at the sight of Lightning, stood confidently before her. She raised her gun blade quickly, glaring down at the soldier before her with the fire of combat burning in her eyes. Vanille saw her take her eyes off her opponent for a brief second, giving her a little more confidence. Lightning would never take her eyes of a target if she thought they were a threat.

Lightning's blue eyes met shocked green ones quickly, giving a brief scan across the younger girl's features to see if she had sustained any injuries. Seeing that for the whole she looked okay, she turned her head back to the solider, who was dragging himself off the floor, just as shocked as Vanille at the young woman's appearance. Lightning smirked as she saw the fear in his eyes, obviously he could remember her.

After all, she had left quite the impression last time.

As he raised his weapon with an unsteady hand, Lightning could see the uncertainty in his actions, she was wondering if he would have the backbone to fight or if he was simply run for help. She hoped that he chose to fight, she could be in trouble if he decided to get backup. He wavered for a minute, wondering quite what to do. Before rushing forward, towards the waiting Guardian Corps soldier.

Lightning met his attack head on, their blades clashing together once more, she moved sideward's so that her back was towards Vanille. A defensive stance, showing exactly why she was here. Dropping his contact and stumbling backwards he sneered at the pink-haired woman.

"Why do you want to help her?" he asked, panting. "You'd fight against your own world, simply to save this filth?"

Lightning looked on, confused as he stumbled backwards, pointing towards Vanille. Who in turn, looked away, tears gleaming in her eyes.

"I never had you tipped as a traitor, Farron."

Lightning paused for a moment, waiting to hear if there was more, she flicked her eyes to Vanille and then back again. That is why she came, for answers. Yet it seemed the soldier had finished his speech.

Moving forwards she met him in a series of well-met attacks, each of them being blocked by his own sword. Side-stepping suddenly and moving at an unexpected angle, she caught her blade across his chest, spraying crimson across its silver surface.

She arched her body backwards into a graceful back-flip, before landing confidently away from him, taking up her battle pose.

He staggered back quickly, dropping his sword. She knew her weapon had gone down to the flesh and muscle below his standard-grade armour, a killing strike no doubt.

She looked on confidently as the man fell to his knees, trying to stem the blood flow from his chest to no avail, the wound was simply too big to cover, too fatal to heal. He glanced up into her eyes one last time before falling forward, seemingly immobile.

Lightning stood for a moment, pondering his words.

Realising why she was here she tore her eyes away from the man quickly, back to the task at hand. Vanille sat still, her breathing fast, no doubt to the adrenaline coursing through her body. She hadn't after all, expected to be rescued, let alone by the pink-haired soldier again.

"We have to stop meeting like this…" Lightning whispered quickly, walking over and cutting her feet restraints, being careful not to aggravate the rope burns she could already see across the young girls ankles. Vanille said nothing as Lightning then cut her hands free, again being careful. She felt the soldiers eyes on the back of her head before she covered the spot with her hand, her fingers meeting a sticky substance quickly. She cringed but said nothing, she had fully expected the pounding in her head to be some kind of open-wound.

"Are you alright?" Lightning asked, looking at the cut across the younger girls head, Vanille simply nodded, taking her hand away. She would be able to heal it as soon as she was away from the soldiers eyes.

"Come on, we should get you looked at…" Lightning whispered, taking her eyes off the young girl for a second before offering her assistance to help her stand. Vanille took her offer, shakily rising to her feet. Her limbs were aching from being immobile, probably for quite some time. She didn't know how long she had been bound after all. All she knew was, she was pleased to be free, even if it was another soldier that rescued her.

Lightning was different however. She just couldn't put her finger on why. Raising her head she made her gaze rise up, finding the confidence to finally speak. Her voice hitched however as a movement behind Lightning made her push the older woman out of the way suddenly.

Lightning turned in surprise at Vanille's actions, the young girl pushed her sideward's and raised her hands forward. Lightning just caught a glimpse of metal claws and the teeth of a PSICOM guard dog before a bright electric light made her blink away.

Opening her eyes again in shock, she realised that the glow had come from Vanille, it was elemental magic.

The power knocked the canine off its feet quickly, perhaps making more noise than Lightning would have liked, she hadn't even noticed the machine before, no doubt it had come from the portal that lay immobile next to the dead soldier. Just to the left of his pale fist. She cursed herself quickly, realising she should have checked for a pulse before she turned her back on him.

She pulled her gun blade quickly, just as Vanille aimed some more magic at the canine, only pushing it backwards and dealing a slight amount of damage. Lightning had only seen that kind of magic once before…

She rushed forwards quickly, bringing her gun blade upwards and through the creatures mouth, she heard a satisfying clunk of metal as the blade severed wires and chips, all required to keep the guard canine mobile. Sparks flew from its body as its circuits began to shut down, rendering it useless.

She took a few steps back as the creature burst into flames, exploding quickly, leaving behind scorch marks and flaked off pieces of metal.

Vanille stood for a moment, panting. She hadn't meant to use her magic, it was a reflex. The damage was done, she could see by the way Lightning looked at her that she knew exactly what she was, she saw through her completely. She hung her head low, acknowledging what it meant. It was Lightning's job to protect Cocoon from people like her, even though she meant no harm to this planet would Lightning see it as that?

Lightning stood in shock too, unbelieving at what she had just seen. Vanille certainly didn't look like an enemy of Cocoon, a tool of destruction.

So this was why she was here, why PSICOM wanted her. She saw the younger girl look downwards, knowing what was running through her head. Lightning's heart sped up involuntarily. What was she supposed to do?

Vanille looked up slowly, seeing the soldier take a small step towards her. She felt her heart skip a beat as Lightning's weapon raised, pointing horizontally so that Vanille had a perfect view of the gun blades barrel. She took a step back nervously as Lightning took a step forwards, her attentions set on her. She seemed daunting, the same woman that had saved her life twice, now raised a weapon against her.

"You…" Vanille could hear the uncertainty in her voice, feel the unwillingness of her actions as she walked forward. Either way, she couldn't blame Lightning, it was her job. How could she ever think that she could simply tell the older woman what she was? How could she expect a Cocoon soldier, Guardian Corps or otherwise, to overlook what she really was?

Lighting took another step forwards, her weapon steady in her hand. Vanille's eyes locked with hers again, this time not through relief but through guilt, through fear. She swallowed hard, her voice not complying to what she wanted, never before had she hesitated so much against an enemy. Pointing a gun her way, it just didn't seem right. Her confident stride was replaced with uncertain steps, almost stopping completely as her mind mulled things through.

Willing her dry throat to work she finally stopped her slow, half-hearted walk to speak, her eyes narrowing in confusion. What graced her lips were words that sounded very unlike her own voice, a weaker version of what should have been a confident, angry statement.

"You… You're a Pulse l'Cie?…"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Aaaaaaaand I know, a cliffhanger : ) Sorry guys I know it is after such a long time making you wait too. But ear not, I'm already working on the next chapter. It will be up within a week. I promise. In the meantime.**

**Take care! And thank you for reading!**


	6. Tough Decisions

**Heya Guys! **

**Now don't be mad, okay? I know it has been a month almost since I updated either of my stories, and I know you all reviewed so kindly on them so I feel more guilty : ( I do apologise, however I have had no luck whatsoever with my shoulder, and contracted a bit of an infection, yadayada. So I'm very sorry… :S Also, I've been having a little play on FF13-2 : ) **

**Anyway, here is the next part, enjoy! **

**XX**

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><p>Lightning narrowed her baby-blue eyes, focusing on the young girl she had positioned before her blade. She held the weapon steady, a well practiced movement she often used to interrogate enemies.<p>

Taking a small step forward, she ignored the unusual pace of her heartbeat, it's way of alerting her body to the added adrenaline running through her veins.

This was supposed to be a rescue, so just when had everything gone so wrong?

Vanille too, took a small step, but hers was backwards, further away from the pink-haired soldier advancing upon her. She had looked down the barrel of a gun many times on Cocoon, yet none seemed quite so threatening than seeing Lightning do it. Perhaps it was because she had seen first hand, Lightning's power in combat. Yet perhaps it was simply because there was a spark of familiarity in her from her previous meetings with the older woman. Either way, she couldn't help but gulp slightly as her own eyes widened.

Lightning stepped forward again, not faltering in her stance. Something didn't feel quite right, yet the young redhead before her had blatantly admitted what she was.

She was a l'Cie, a _Pulse l'Cie._

The very thing Cocoon feared most, especially military trained soldiers. Stood before her was one of the examples her superiors would tell her to 'shoot on sight.' Even though her orders would have stated as such, Lightning felt the need to speak first. Perhaps it was because the younger girl simply looked so scared, or perhaps it was down to the fact that, this far, Vanille had proved to be no threat. Not wanting to do her any harm.

But then again, she could just be pretending, lying to seem innocent.

There were so many questions flying around in the pink-haired soldiers head. She shook them out, whatever she did, she had to do so quickly. It wouldn't be long before more guards were on the way.

"You're a Pulse l'Cie?" Lightning stated the question that had been swirling the most, not just with a questionable tone but one of an unbelieving manner. This girl possessed magic beyond anything she had seen, she had seen magic, away on various missions, but to see the magic of a Pulse born l'Cie, that was entirely new to her.

In a strange way, she found herself impressed by the girls ability.

"Vanille isn't it? You're from Pulse, aren't you?" Lightning asked again, this time her voice was slightly more forceful, after all, it wasn't just a regular citizen she was talking with, Vanille had the power to do her some serious harm should this come to a fight.

Vanille however, looked as if she had no fight to give. Stepping backwards once more, she found her eyes strangely diverted to the floor, as if there was something interesting beneath her feet to watch. Anything was better than the soldiers haunting stare. She would rather be back in the hands of PSICOM. It wasn't as if she could lie to the older woman either, she would never believe that her power came from a Cocoon l'Cie, after all she would be working with the Sanctum, not against them.

She shuffled her feet again, this time more nervously than before. If she answered the question, just what would Lightning do? There would be a very fine line between dying here, and being tormented in some cell by Cocoon's soldiers, either option didn't seem too appealing.

Well, either way, it was that or becoming a Cie'th, so she guessed answering the question and taking a risk didn't seem like too bad an option right now.

"Yes…" she murmured quietly, so the soldier could only just pick up her scared tone. She looked up, her eyes locking with Lightning's once more, another silent plea of forgiveness, this time for the background she came from.

"I'm a l'Cie, from Gran Pulse…" she spoke with a little more confidence, perhaps dying at the hands of Lightning's sword would be the faster and better option of the three she was faced with.

"Tsk…" Lightning answered, feeling her anger flare up, she moved closer still, until Vanille had backed her way against the nearest wall, clearly unable to move away anymore. The glint in her eye however, suggested that she wouldn't try to.

Something that not only shocked, but sent a chill through Lightning.

'She wants to die?' she thought quickly, still meeting the bright green eyes of the younger girl. Behind their colour lay a hidden message, a saddened expression that made Lightning falter for a minute. A pain and suffering she had never seen, tinged with loneliness she knew all too well…

"I'm from Pulse, the planet you hate, I'm the very thing you are trained to look out for… to… to kill." Vanille's small limbs were shaking, and Lightning was surprised to glimpse unshed tears behind her eyes, threatening to spill. She stepped forwards again, leaving only a few metres between the two of them.

"Why are you here?" she whispered quickly, lowering her weapon a few inches, so it was pointing straight at the younger girls chest, a less threatening level. She wasn't going to take it away just yet, magic was a much quicker form of attack and Lightning never left an opening where she might be caught unawares.

"I'm not here for Cocoon…" the young girl whispered. Lightning narrowed her eyes quickly, re-raising the blade. Of course a Pulse l'Cie would say that, if ever they were caught. They would deny everything.

"Then why _are_ you here?" Lightning asked quickly. If she was to figure out what to do, she needed an answer. She could go from there… This wasn't perhaps the best place to be having a casual conversation…

"I… I don't know…" Vanille answered truthfully, her heart crying out for Lightning to believe her. She really didn't have any idea why she had woken up on Cocoon. As far as she knew, their last focus was finished, Fang had attacked Cocoon as Ragnarok, something she had kept hidden from her friend. Now she really didn't know what she was doing here. Perhaps it really was to hurt Cocoon, something that she had no intention of doing. She couldn't hurt anymore people, she just couldn't.

It had nearly been too much the first time…

"Tsk." Lightning huffed, unbelieving. Every l'Cie should know what their focus was. She had a feeling the young girl was lying, but why? With a gun held to her, she had no option but to tell the truth, it was the only thing she could perhaps do to avoid such a harsh fate.

"I really don't know… I woke up, here in this room." Vanille nodded to the chamber in which they stood, her eyes falling upon the pillar her crystal had been perched atop of.

"Me and Fang, we woke up…" she half-whispered, staring back at the floor.

"I shouldn't even be here…"

"Wait, what do you mean woke up? Who's Fang? There's more of you?" It was very unlike Lightning to ask many questions, but she had a sudden urge to find out as much about the mysterious young l'Cie as she could.

Vanille blinked up again quickly, Lightning's word striking a chord within her. So she didn't yet know? She didn't know her own sister was a l'Cie…

"I promise, I'm not here for Cocoon. I… I don't even know what my focus is. When we woke up here, neither of us had any memories of what happened before. I was chosen as a tool in the fight against Cocoon, I was made a l'Cie to fight your planet." she paused for a moment, seeing Lightning's eyes flicker with thought. She knew wholeheartedly that these were the exact lies the had spoken to Fang…

"But I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I made a promise that I wouldn't keep running away, that I would just wait to become a Cie'th, at least that way, no one can judge me on what I might do." she continued quickly, her words spilling fast along with the tears that had now fought their barricades and begun streaming down her cheeks. This was something she had to say, she had to get it off her chest…

"I'm human, just like you…" she reached around to the back of her head, where she knew the PSICOM soldier had hit her. She felt the familiar sting of a cut as she ran her fingers through her already-red locks.

"See, I'm flesh and blood too… If your expecting me to be something different, then you're going to be disappointed…." She raised her hand to the light, highlighting the sticky crimson substance laced across her fingers, the familiar feeling of blood. It made her head spin for a second, realising how hard she must have been hit.

Lightning looked taken aback for a second, glancing the blood that Vanille so openly brandished around. The young l'Cie couldn't possibly have known that it was half shock at her bold actions, and half concern that she was injured at all.

"So if you want to kill me… If I'm a threat… I won't stand in your way…" she whispered the last part, raising her head higher and looking on with haunting eyes. She had no intention of fighting the soldier before her, after all. Her sister, Serah, had shown such kindness to her on a planet that she thought had none.

Lightning took a quick step backwards, aware of the noise her own heartbeat was making in her chest. Vanille's plea seemed a little too personal to be a lie. If she really was here just to spend out her last days, if she was truly just here because a piece of Pulse had been awoken, then it wasn't entirely her fault.

In fact, Lightning didn't see how it was her fault at all.

Lowering her weapon carefully, Lightning held it by her side. Noticing how the young girl had a shocked expression written across her features, her gaze tinged with confusion at her sudden submission.

"I'm not going to kill you…" she whispered, her own voice lower in tone, a half-whisper.

"You… you're not?" Vanille whispered quickly, surprise evident in her voice.

"No, I'm not…" Lightning whispered, confused at her own actions, pity residing somewhere in her chest.

Vanille almost sunk to the floor in relief, but instead placed a shaking hand against the wall, so that she didn't. She had been scared for a moment and she felt slightly guilty that the fear had come out in the form of anger towards the soldier. Yet it seemed her bold actions had struck a chord in the older woman.

Lightning sighed quickly. From the moment she had raised her blade, deep down she knew she wouldn't really have the heart to kill the younger girl. Something about her just screamed out to Lightning, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"Tsk, I'm getting soft…" she whispered to herself. She turned away from Vanille slowly, all of her previous anticipation now gone.

Now she was faced with a bigger dilemma, getting in had been the easy bit, it was going to be harder getting the two of them out….

"Can you fight?" Lightning asked quickly, sure Vanille could use magic, but did she have the confidence to stand up in a real fight?

"If you have to, I mean." she added, nodding towards the door. Vanille looked a little puzzled to start with, before realising that Lightning meant getting out of the Vestige.

"Uhh, I guess so…" she whispered back, her voice losing it's boldness to the quiet sound of relief.

"Your letting me go?" she asked quietly.

"No, we still need to talk, I just don't think here is the best place…" Lightning stated, nodding towards the dead soldier. She did wonder for a brief second why they were leaving at all. Why she felt so drawn to help the younger girl. She shook the thoughts from her head however, that reason she could muse about later.

"More will be here soon, that's why I need you to be able to fight…"

She looked doubtful, but Vanille gave her a reassuring nod that she could indeed fight, if she needed to.

"Good, because I think we are going to have to…" Lightning sighed, she glanced the room for any way that might prove a better option than the direct way. Seeing no other ways out she sighed and looked back towards the door, it was now or never, perhaps it was better to take the soldiers outside by surprise, before guards came in looking for them.

"Wait…" Vanille whispered, she looked behind her quickly, her eyes falling upon Lightning's helmet. She nodded towards it quickly.

"Put that back on." she stated. Walking over to the other dead soldier.

She shuddered quickly as she remembered how easily Lightning seemed to have ended his life. Reaching down towards his body, she attempted to ignore the sight of spilled blood, it was hard to notice against the black armour anyway…

"What are you thinking?" Lightning whispered, noting her actions.

"We go out the same way as you came in." Vanille replied, matter-of-factly.

"Tsk, his armour will drown you." Lightning rolled her eyes impatiently as Vanille carefully peeled the clothing off the soldier. She looked down at herself, at least she was still wearing part of her disguise.

"Here…" she whispered, walking to the man and helping out. She could see that the more Vanille was looking upon him, the paler she was becoming. It was to be expected, she guessed that the younger girl hadn't had quite the same experience with death that she herself had known.

Vanille slipped on the soldier's black boots and dark armoured trousers with ease, her body being considerably smaller than his. Lightning handed her his heavy jacket apologetically. She reached out and immediately groaned under its weight.

How did soldiers fight in these things? She could see why Lightning wore the more revealing attire of the Guardian Corps…

Lightning spun around at the sound of footsteps, there was someone approaching the door…

"Quickly!" she hissed, turning and grabbing her own black helmet off the floor. She jammed it on her head forcefully, tucking her pink-hair neatly into the back. If this was to work, they couldn't have anything unusual as a give away. She felt her muscles twitch, ready to grab the gunblade if she should need it. She looked around quickly, Vanille too quickly tucked her hair into the helmet, its colour more noticeable against the dark armour.

"Come on…" she whispered impatiently, heading towards the exit with a brisk walk. They had to cut the other guards off before they saw the chaos that had ensued in this room.

She reached for the strangely patterned door quickly, turning one last time to make sure Vanille was following and then took a deep breath.

Pushing it outwards, she braced herself for what might be on the other side…

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Well, that's another chapter done! I'm sorry if this one is perhaps not as good as some of the previous ones, however in all my excitement with the new game I felt it was a little rushed :S , plus my muse seems to have disappeared momentarily! Hmmmm, hope it comes back soon. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading! **


	7. New Hope

**: ) **

**I'm back! This time with a much speedier update… as you can all see : ).**

**I'm feeling considerably better so firstly I want to thank you all for your kind well wishes. It's safe to say I'm well on the mend and have had the stitches out so should be okay from here on in! Thanks to all you reviewers, really without you, I wouldn't keep these stories and ideas alive. So yeah, thanks a bunch :P**

**Here is the next chapter to Because You're Here. **

**Enjoy. **

**XX**

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><p>"Look, I'm sorry. I'm just not sure what else we can do here…" Captain Rygdea brushed a hand through his semi-long locks nervously, a lop sided grin gracing his face. He wasn't sure why, but the Pulsian warrior who stood before him made him increasingly uncomfortable. It could have been the look of thunder across her face as she tapped her foot unnervingly, or it could indeed be due to the fact she had her arms crossed over her chest impatiently, her eyes reduced to a mere scowl.<p>

Whatever the feeling was, he was entirely not going to test the boundaries.

"You can't just tell me that an' expect me to believe it can you?" she said angrily, tapping her foot harder. "At least not without letting me have one more look first."

"Fang, listen…" Rygdea sighed quickly, understanding her plight. The truth was, what she was asking him to do was way beyond his jurisdiction. He would have to pass it through Raines first.

Cid Raines. The man who made him equally as nervous.

"If Vanille's still here, if she's still in Bodhum… I gotta find her, before all of Cocoon goes to hell…" Fang whispered, trying a less forceful approach. Getting angry with the Cavalry wouldn't do her any good at all.

"We all know what your 'Purge' really means." she finished, looking at the clouds rushing past the air-ship.

The _Lindblum _had fast become common ground for the Oerban. Looking around, her eyes settled on several objects that her mind was coming to terms with. It wasn't all that bad, not to say she was officially a 'prisoner' of the Cavalry. Not that Rygdea saw it that way. She had fast earned her equal status, posing no threat to them or Cocoon. She simply wanted to find her friend, and he recognised that entirely.

"There has to be something you can do?" she asked again, unfolding her arms and taking a few steps closer to the young man. He reminded her a lot of herself, she could see his untidy appearance was just a façade for the brave, caring persona he held within. He looked like the kind of man that would risk it all for friendship, just like her. In fact, she mused at how their appearances were even similar. If she had have been male, she would have kept herself almost the same way.

I he was, indeed like her. Then her constant pleas would get her somewhere…

"Well, _I _cant let you go." he emphasised, scratching his head in thought. "But I suppose we will all be so busy with the fireworks festival that no one will notice if you simply… _discharge_ yourself for a little while?" He sounded unsure of his words, almost as if he shouldn't be putting such ideas into her head.

Fang smirked gratefully. At least he was thinking the same as her…

"No one will notice huh?" she asked, turning from him to study the air-ships activities. He was right, not too many people were even acknowledging she was there. Must be nice, to not have to worry about anything else.

"Here, you better take this." he said quickly, performing a 'pick-pocket' movement of sorts on a nearby table. He reached a hand to her, slipping a communications device across her palm. She took it quickly, placing it in one of the folds her sari offered.

"Like I said." he whispered, moving closer so no one else could hear his words.

"Just a few hours… okay?" he sounded untrusting, knowing Fang, she would take it further. That would be too risky.

"Gotcha… a few hours." she winked at him playfully, knowing full well that she would take as long as she needed to find Vanille. With all the hustle and bustle in Bodhum, that might prove difficult. Yet if she knew Vanille like she thought, there was one place she would be. Somewhere that the younger Oerban could put her hands together and whisper a lonely, saddened prayer.

Right underneath the fireworks.

* * *

><p>Right now. They were in a tiny little bit of a predicament. At least, talking their way out of this one wouldn't be quite as easy as Vanille first thought.<p>

Lightning gave a little glance her way, it was the sort of glance that screamed out. 'Just let me do the talking alright?' Of course, she wasn't going to say it aloud, that would be suspicious. No, she would just have to hope that her silent message passed through the red-headed l'Cie's mind.

The man that stood in front of her angrily however, looked like talking was indeed what he wanted to do.

Lightning was just glad that she currently boasted a full-faced helmet, perhaps it would muffle her feminine vocals slightly, if the soldier was as stupid as he looked of course.

Otherwise they were going to have to get their hands dirty.

"Everything alright in there Lieutenant?" the soldier before her asked. By the way he was stood rubbing the back of his neck, just below the hem of his helmet, Lightning could only guess that he was one of the unlucky few she had to knock out to get her current attire. She smiled to herself.

How ironic.

"Everything's fine soldier." she half-whispered, trying to make her vocals as low as possible. It had indeed been a man she had stolen her armour from so keeping with the masculine trend was a must, Etro knows what he would have sounded like. It half amused her that this soldier had awoken quite so fast. She was just lucky that she had the sense to hide the body of his superior. Whom she had hit a little too hard…

It hadn't taken long for the rest of the PSICOM division to come knocking on the door either, no sooner had they turned the strange handle that operated the Vestige's only exit, had soldiers been upon them. She guessed that knocking a few of them out had aroused a little bit of suspicion here.

She expected him to be entirely untrusting, instead he seemed to take her word for it. Lowering his hand and proceeding to ask her a few more questions. The Lieutenant she currently posed as must have more power here than she had initially thought.

She glanced back at Vanille, who in turn, seemed to be taking to this 'in disguise' thing fairly well. At least she was staying quiet,, something Lightning was happy to see. With her high-pitched vocals, there wasn't a chance that their cover would stay intact.

"How's the interrogation going?" he asked, reaching a hand out to push the door open. Lightning quickly grabbed his wrist, preventing any further movement. Instead of knocking him backwards like her body willed, she just pushed his hand away lightly, not wanting to seem out of character.

"I don't wish for her to be disturbed… not yet." she said quickly, trying to cover her tracks. They had to get out of here before anyone noticed that they were impostors. She couldn't believe he hadn't noticed yet. Hell Vanille was tiny, hardly the grade for any soldier. Not that he seemed to be paying much attention her way anyway. Perhaps that was a good thing.

"Of course sir…" he whispered apologetically.

"As long as the filth is under control…"

Lightning felt anger flare at his words, unknowingly coursing through her. Did they have no respect for anyone? She curled her fist up angrily, ready to speak back sharply when she felt Vanille quickly bump her arm against the back of her shoulder, asking her to be quiet.

Lightning looked around sharply, expecting Vanille to also be mad, but instead she just bowed her head down and clasped her hands behind her back sadly.

Lightning gritted her teeth, complying with what Vanille was asking.

"Yes, the _filth _is under control…" she whispered, lower than before. She cleared her throat as the low vibrations coursed through her windpipe.

"That will be all soldier." she added, nodding for him to leave them in peace.

He did so with a nod of his head, walking away until his back had retreated far enough for Lightning to relax. She looked in Vanille's direction again, beckoning her to follow. She did so quickly, wanting to get out of this place sooner than Lightning herself.

* * *

><p>"Hmph, a few hours…. Yeah like that was goin' to happen…"<p>

Fang mused to herself as she walked boldly down the streets of Cocoon. She had decided to begin her search early, at least before the streets filled with people. She would have better luck spotting Vanille if everywhere wasn't so crowded. Not that Rygdea or the Cavalry knew she had 'slipped away' of course…

She had even taken a mental note to leave the communications device switched firmly off.

But where too first?

The Vestige was the obvious answer, even with all the Sanctum soldiers and the buzz about a Purge going on, Vanille would still perhaps have some connections there. She was sure the younger girl would go back, she knew that if she was the one lost, she would want to be as close to home as she possibly could, regardless of any danger there might be. She guessed Vanille would be thinking the same.

She shook her head, looking up at the sky as a pang of guilt ran through her chest. She had to find her, if she knew Vanille like she thought she did, the young girl would be scared. Hell, she couldn't even remember a day that they had been apart. Not since the Orphanage. Not since their parents…

She forced the thought free from her mind, musing about the past was not a good thing right now. Right now, she needed her head set on straight. If she didn't find Vanille before all this Purge business, she hated to think what would happen to her companion.

She shuddered lightly and closed her eyes. It was just another way of sending people to the slaughter. If Vanille got the message that she could go back to Pulse, that there was any chance of leaving Cocoon, Fang was sure she might just take the opportunity. Regardless of the fact she was still here too…

Not that she could blame her, perhaps she would do the same. But then again, now that she knew what it all meant, she had no intention of joining the execution.

As she walked through the streets of town she found herself scanning her surroundings a little more, relieved to see that most people were walking past her obliviously. They seemed to have gained a distinct lack of interest in her other worldly appearance and simply chosen to ignore her. Not that she gave a damn what they were thinking anyway. At least she would be able to search in peace.

She glanced down at her arm, furrowing her brow at the scorched brand that lay across her skin. It was the only reminder of what she was still doing here, a constant pain of knowing her time wasn't infected with the fear of death, a painful reminder that Vanille, no matter where she might run, would turn into a Cie'th without the sniff of a focus to follow.

"I'm sorry Miss, but this part of Bodhum is restricted during the fireworks festival."

She was rudely brought back to Cocoon with a bump as a Guardian Corps soldier held out a hand to halt her progress. She looked up at him in confusion, her gaze asking why she wasn't allowed to pass.

"It's beyond my power. PSICOM orders, if you would kindly make your way back through town we will be re-opening the area when the festival is over."

"Has anyone else passed by here?" she asked quickly, annoyed at his interruption. Normally, she would have just forced her way past, but here the streets were too crowded with people to make such a disturbance. She didn't want the Cavalry picking her up before her time was finished, not before she had found Vanille anyway.

"No Ma'am, I've been here all day to make sure that doesn't happen." he sounded a little annoyed at his progress of standing around, however he still smiled apologetically her way.

'Hmmm…' she thought. Looking around her, she scanned the crowded streets for anywhere else she might be able to look. Now that she had learned Vanille was no where near the Vestige, she was a little stumped as what to do next.

Perhaps she would have more luck by the beach? Maybe Vanille was just waiting around for the fireworks. Maybe she too, had been captured and her own search was now useless…

She crossed her arms at that statement. No, she would have been told if another l'Cie had been found, Rygdea would have let her know at least. However, knowing that little detail did nothing to aid her current predicament.

She sighed to herself.

'Now what?'

* * *

><p>"C… could you slow down a little please? I think we're past them…" Vanille panted out as she attempted to get her short legs to keep timing with Lightning's considerably longer ones. Who knew the soldier could power walk to that extreme?<p>

"Tsk." came her reply. Yet Lightning did drop her pace slightly, allowing the younger girl to catch up and then work out how to catch her breath. She had been lagging behind for a while now.

Lightning decided that the longer, yet more secluded route back through town would be abetter approach. So she had been avoiding any main streets as much as she could, leaving the path a considerable amount longer than the walk out there had been. She was however, beginning to feel slightly sorry for the young l'Cie. After all, the armour was twice her size, and she could feel beads of sweat dripping beneath her own false uniform.

"Cant we take these off now?" Vanille chirped up, pulling at her helmet.

"Tsk, I suppose." Lightning replied, looking around to make sure no one was watching before pulling hers off in one simple motion, leaving her hair still perfectly as it should have been. Vanille looked a little disgruntled at this, probably due to the fact her ponytails had flattened down, giving hers a more rugged appearance. It must have been due to how much her helmet moved around, being far too big for her and all. She smoothed it down quickly, ignoring the details.

Lightning looked around as she slipped the rest of her armour off, her skin sighing in relief as the air brushed against it. She too breathed in a breath of fresh air, relaxing now that they were a distance from the rest of the soldiers. She glanced down on the off chance at her wrist, catching the time with a skip of her heartbeat.

She rolled her eyes. This was all she needed.

"Tsk, I'm supposed to be on guard duty tonight…" she said quickly, looking around at Vanille. Technically, her shift had already started, and she wasn't one to be late. Now however, she was in a bit of a predicament. Vanille looked up at her quickly, her eyes asking if she was the hindrance in question.

"Well, don't mind me…" she said, looking down at the floor.

"I meant, what am I going to do with you?" Lightning looked away, thinking out loud.

"I… I can just, stay in town I guess…" Vanille replied sadly. This was how things would be from now on then. Now that she had nowhere to go…. Its not as if she could go back to the Vestige, not now. Not as if she could go to the only place that reminded her of home.

"No you cant. Bad idea. PSICOM will be everywhere tonight. They should know by now that you aren't in the Vestige like you're meant to be, they will be looking everywhere…"

"Then, can't I go with you?" Vanille asked quickly. At least that way, she wouldn't be alone.

"I don't mind watching the fireworks…"

"Didn't you hear me? There will be soldiers everywhere. I cant just take you to work with me, I can't just walk you right into an army base now can I?" Lightning looked at her with an annoyed expression. That would be ridiculous.

She rolled her eyes sarcastically, making the younger girl bow her head again.

She sighed deeply, knowing that she was left with one more option.

"I guess… You could wait at my house…" she let the thought cross her mind quickly, before pushing it to one side. Did she really want to leave a Pulse l'Cie with her sister? Presuming that Serah was at home of course. She imagined that she would be watching the fireworks with Snow…

There it was again, involuntary anger….

"If you don't mind?" Vanille replied quickly, looking up from the ground and waltzing closer to the young soldier.

"I mean, if that's what you want me to do?"

Lightning looked at her sharply. Vanille was a little too chipper about the situation. One minute, her mood was low and she could swear she could see tears glistening behind those emerald eyes, and the next, she was perfectly happy.

Her moods were giving the pink-haired soldier whiplash.

"You promise that you'll stay inside? You wont try and follow me at all?" she said sternly. If Vanille was going to wait at her home, she was going to follow her rules. She didn't need any more trouble. Especially not if someone caught on to the fact she was harbouring l'Cie. How ironic, a Cocoon soldier, helping a Pulse l'Cie.

'What am I doing?' she thought quickly. However, the happy look on the young girls face made her stick to her plan. She couldn't leave her out here, she just didn't know why she was being protective. She knew deep down that if Serah was at home, Vanille would never hurt her. She hadn't after all, tried anything the first time they had met.

"Vanille, about before…" One thing had been bugging her since they left the PSICOM soldiers behind. It was something she needed to get off her chest.

"I'm sorry. About what I said…"

Vanille looked at her puzzled for a second.

"What about?" she asked quickly, her sombre mood coming back again as she thought about what Lightning was saying.

"About what I called you, about what that soldier…"

"Oh that, don't worry about it. I'm used to it here…" Vanille blushed slightly. She had a feeling that Lightning wasn't the type to apologise much. She hadn't let the soldiers or Lightning's words get to her, in fact, as she hung her head further down, she couldn't help but think that their words were true…

"It doesn't make it right…" Lightning whispered. That part was real enough. Vanille wasn't filth at all, not that she had seen anyway. It was more fitting to call the PSICOM soldiers that…

"You should take care of that cut when you get back…" she nodded to the back of the younger girls head, where faint trails of blood could be seen through her hair and down her neck. Vanille giggled quickly, before brushing her hand backwards and emitting a light blue glow, which was there and then was gone before Lightning had time to acknowledge what it was at all.

"What cut?" Vanille winked.

"Wha…?" Lightning began, before a fellow Guardian Corps soldier walked around the corner, reminding her that she had work to do. She scowled lightly. She hated guard duty.

The conversation would have to wait…

"I have to get going…" she whispered, turning to leave.

A quick hand across her arm halted her progress, Vanille had latched on to her, quick as a flash.

"Wait. I don't know were you live…" she said, blushing.

Lightning rolled her eyes, turning away for the second time that day and silently beckoning for Vanille to follow her.

It was going to be a long night…

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>

**Well there you go, I made this one a little longer. See, I'm being good to you. A fast update and a longer chapter! **

**Anyway. Thanks for reading! **


	8. Forming a Plan

**Hi there! **

**Well I'm here with the update. Just like I promised. Hmnnnn, I like this whole putting times on stories thing. It makes me work harder! :D Anyway, if I couldn't thank you personally for leaving a review or adding this story to favourites etc, then I'm thanking you now…**

**So there it is, thank you! **

**On with the chapter. **

**Enjoy! **

**XX**

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><p>"Serah? You're here?" Lightning furrowed her brow as she talked. The last time she had seen her sister, she was heading in the direction of Snow's pretty quickly.<p>

Serah looked up as her big sister walked through the front door of their home. Bright eyed and bushy tailed; she bounded over, a look of relief on her face.

"Lightning! You're alright… you had me worried." she was too busy inspecting her sister up and down to see the young red-head stood behind the soldier looking coy. Vanille blushed for a second, unsure of how to re-introduce herself to Serah. After all, when they had met the first time it was due to 'unwanted' circumstances.

Lightning however, didn't give her much room to be shy. Stepping aside she quickly nodded for the younger girl to come in.

"V… Vanille?" Serah stammered, looking at Lightning with even more shock across her face. She knew that Lighting was headed in the direction of saving Vanille, she hadn't expected the soldier to bring her home. Especially not whilst she was supposed to be on shift.

"Uh, Serah I need a favour…" Lightning lowered her tone and looked at Vanille carefully. Almost as if she would run out the door at her words. That was the last thing she needed. She lowered her voice even more, so that Vanille; who was now inspecting the entrance to their home, couldn't hear.

"I need you to keep an eye on her…" she nodded sideways, just keeping her voice low enough. She hoped Serah would get her subtle hint.

"What? Why?" Serah whispered back, checking that Vanille was still looking in the other direction.

"I'll explain everything later.." she replied, this time so that Vanille _could_ hear. Serah just looked even more puzzled so Lightning rolled her eyes, sending a silent 'just leave it… please?' message to her sister.

Serah, getting the message she had seen many times before; just held her hands up in defeat. It had to be something important if Lightning was asking her a personal favour.

"Okay, okay." she said, half-happily. After all, it would be nice to catch up with the younger girl. They hadn't had much of a chance to talk back on the beach in Bodhum and what they had conversed was pretty heavy stuff. The chipper young girl had said some things that she really didn't understand, an air of sadness about her. Perhaps she would get a chance to ask Vanille why she had apologised in such a manner, and why to her of all people.

Then she remembered what tonight was and a sudden thought struck her.

"Don't forget, I'm watching the fireworks tonight." She added, looking back up at her older sister. She had after all, promised Snow she would be there.

"What? No, Serah you have to stay here!" Lightning said quickly, her voice perhaps a little harsher than she had intended.

"But Light, I already have plans!" Serah moaned her annoyance. She knew where this was heading, Lightning's persuasive power over her always won when it came to an argument.

"With who?" Lightning growled, crossing her arms in annoyance. She didn't really have to ask, she knew who would call Serah out on a night like this.

"Snow…"

Lightning rolled her eyes again.

"Tsk." figures.

"He said he has something important to tell me…"

"Important? That idiot?" Lightning answered quickly. "Look, I'm sorry Serah but I really need you here, with Vanille."

"Well, how about I take her?" Serah glanced over to Vanille, who at this current moment was now inspecting a rather ordinary vase, sitting on the hallway table. Lightning shrugged her shoulders. That girl had the most peculiar habits.

"No, she cant go out…" Lightning wondered just how she was going to explain without telling her sister the truth.

"Look, just trust me on this one Serah, I have to get back to work; and she can't go out in public… not tonight at least…"

"But…"

"No buts Serah. Please, I need you to do me a favour…" Lightning walked over to her sister, softening her tone she placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. Serah looked up into blue eyes so like her own and suppressed a sigh. She always knew Lightning would win; she just couldn't help but cave in to her sister's wishes.

"Alright… I guess, Snow will understand." she sighed, looking down at the floor and shuffling her feet. She had been looking forward to tonight.

"Thank you. I'll make it up to you… I promise." Lightning whispered, her voice soft and apologetic. She had never intended for Serah's plans to be ruined, she just didn't have much of a choice otherwise. She hoped her sister would understand that.

Serah's heart caught in her chest for a moment, a sudden feeling of guilt running through her at the soldiers soft words. Here Lightning was, asking her a favour and she was complaining about it. After all, she was hiding something from her sister that could potentially ruin more than just one night. She let the smile fade from her face and she looked down at the floor, shuffling her feet. Just how was she going to tell Lightning the truth?

"Serah, you okay?" Lightning broke her out of her thoughts quickly. She released a breath, realising that she had been holding it in; it must have looked a little awkward.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she re-applied her smile for her sister before turning to Vanille. She briskly walked over to the young l'Cie and took her wrist, pulling her towards the rest of the house. Well, she might at least give the girl a tour, since they were both stuck here.

"Don't worry, we'll find something to do." she whispered to her sister. Lightning gave her an appreciative nod, turning to leave.

"Oh, Vanille?" Lightning stopped her forward march towards the door. She was already late, so what did a few more seconds matter? Vanille looked up at her, a relatively happy expression written across her features.

"Stay out of trouble?" Lightning's voice was stern, it brought her back to reality with a bump and she shivered, sending a vibration down Serah's arm too. She had no intention of getting into trouble; Lightning had already saved her life more times than she could ever repay.

"I will…" she said, her voice small. Lightning simply nodded her way, acknowledging her answer. Somewhere deep down, she had an uneasy feeling; that only happened when something was going to go awry. She just hoped that Vanille would heed her advice, for all their sakes. It would only take one slip up, and she would be in serious trouble…

She narrowed her eyes as Serah steered Vanille away, she paused for a second to wonder if she really could trust the younger girl. She shook her head, for now, even if she didn't. She was going to have to…

* * *

><p>"Really?" Vanille shuffled her weight excitedly. After a quick tour of the soldiers house, they had settled down in the lounge; losing themselves in conversation. She looked Serah up and down with a strange glint in her eyes. It was a strange question and one that had come around without much thought, the answer however, filled her with a little bit of hope…<p>

"They really grant wishes?" she repeated, a plan forming in her mind. She could really do with a wish right now; a little magical help to get her back to Fang; and if the Bodhum fireworks made them come true… How different from magic could they be?

"Yeah, well that's what they say at least. I've never been so lucky." Serah looked down quickly, her eyes fixing to the floor.

"But I guess, if you wish hard enough; they could come true…"

"So that's why everyone comes here for the festival? To wish?" Vanille's heart jumped lightly in her chest. Perhaps, if Fang had heard the story she would be here too. It sunk again however, when she thought of how rational Fang was. Would she really wish on fireworks?

Maybe if she had given up all hope of everything else…

"Why do you ask?" Serah tilted her head, looking back at the mysterious young redhead. She couldn't quite figure Vanille out, even through her perky, innocent attitude; the girl was hard to read. It's almost as if her question had a different motive; she had a strange look in her eye. She was surprised that Vanille had never heard of Bodhum's famous fireworks festival before, after all; the whole of Cocoon knew about them…

"N… No reason." Vanille looked up quickly, not wanting to seem too suspicious. She now just had to figure out how she was going to pull off said plan. If she was going to sneak out and look for Fang; she was going to have to find a way to sneak past Serah.

"So, ummm. Have you told Snow that you are staying in tonight?" she asked quickly, hoping she could persuade Serah to leave somehow. Then she could be out and back again before anyone missed her prescience. She really didn't want to get on Lightning's bad side again. Damn, the soldier was scary when she lost her temper.

"No, I don't have to. He'll understand. He just gets me you know? He's alright with me changing my plans and listening to my sister. He's an Orphan and he knows how important family can be." Serah blushed as she spoke, thinking on how much Snow really did know her. He could read her like a book.

"Oh, he wont be mad?" Vanille tried to keep the disappointment from her voice as she answered, her mind automatically seeking out a different topic of conversation.

"Not at all…" Serah whispered, now they just needed a way to pass the time. She would rather not think that she could have spent her night with Snow. Not that she disliked spending time with Vanille, it just seemed that what he had to discuss with her was something big. Better to stay pre-occupied as best she could.

"Uh, I think I'm just going to go lie down." Vanille whispered quickly, "It's been a long day."

"Oh Vanille I'm sorry I forgot. You've been through a lot today huh?…" Serah spoke sympathetically, embarrassed that Vanille had recently been through trauma and she hadn't even really asked the girl if she wanted to talk about it. She mentally kicked herself for being so selfish, here she was thinking about Snow and how they could have been together tonight. She bet Vanille had more on her mind than going out with a boyfriend to watch some fireworks…

"You must be tired, if you like you can rest up in my room." she nodded towards the stairs, not thinking where Lightning was actually going to put her tonight anyway, there was only two rooms. She could hazard a guess that Lightning would sleep on the sofa, that was the regular ritual when guests came around. Not that it happened much.

She picked herself of their comfortable perch reluctantly; offering her hand down to help the other girl kindly. Vanille didn't seem tired and she hadn't once complained, Serah admired her courage. Vanille seemed to be able to hold herself together through difficult times, it was more than she could manage to do... She hadn't even complained back at the beach when she had fallen and cut herself.

That's when a sudden thought hit her.

"You weren't hurt were you?" she added, thinking in horror that the red-head could have been hurt whilst they sat and talked. She mentally kicked herself again. How inconsiderate!

"No, I'm just tired…" Vanille smiled, looking at Serah's guilty expression. She took up Serah's offer and grasped the other girl's hand tightly, allowing herself to be pulled up from the comfortable sofa. She stretched accordingly. Realising that she _was _tired. Her limbs ached from head to toe, she hadn't realised before she had sunk down into comfort. Now that she had been immobile for a small amount of time, she had stiffened up.

Yawning, she allowed herself to be steered towards the stairs by Serah, the other girl's hand on the small of her back.

Well, at least it looked convincing. Now, she just had to search for the perfect window of opportunity…

* * *

><p>"Fang! Fang, come in!" the tall, brunette Pulsian completely blanked the communications device as she walked. Rygdea's voice ringing out in her pocket. She hadn't actually bothered to put it to her ear, none the less, his shouts were still reaching her. That; and the voices from hundreds of Cocoon citizens.<p>

Fang pushed her way through a group of people, not taking the time to pause and apologise. Her temper was beginning to rise, that and an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. She had scanned the entire beach front, weaved in and out of people she couldn't stand. Yet nothing, no glimpse of the red hair she so desperately wanted to see. No sound of giggling from the one person that could make her smile.

It was hopeless. If Vanille wasn't here tonight, the place that the world seemed to travel to, where was she? Was she hurt? Scared?

Fang curled her hand into a fist angrily, imagining the thought's that would be going through her young companion's head. No doubt, the same thoughts running through her own right now, wherever she might be. Fang didn't even have a clue whether or not Vanille was anywhere near Bodhum, she could have simply fled town when the Vestige was discovered. With nothing to tie her here, Fang wasn't sure whether her young companion would want to stay here…

She ran her fingers through her hair in annoyance, frustration creeping in. She was fast running out of places to look. She had tried the town centre, tried the Vestige but couldn't get within a few miles of it. She just hoped Vanille hadn't been there when she soldiers stumbled across it…

She shook her head, no; she couldn't think like that. If she was to lose faith that Vanille was still out there… there would be nothing to live for. Nothing to fight for.

She scanned the beachfront again, with a little more detail this time. Her eyes darted from person to person, falling on any glimpse of someone that might be Vanille. She hung her head in disappointment as she saw no sign whatsoever. Perhaps she should try the café?

She turned to face the small building, she was only a few hundred metres from it now and the little place was heaving with activity. Peering through the glass windows she noticed that it had the best view out onto the seafront. She would be able to keep her eye out from inside. Besides, she had asked the perky bar lady to keep an eye out for anyone fitting Vanille's description. Perhaps Lebreau had some information for her?

It was well worth a try. There was nowhere else to look.

She found herself dragging her feet across Bodhum's bright white beach, the sand catching in her sandals uncomfortably. She wasn't however, focused much on what her feet were doing. She couldn't care less at this particular moment in time. The only thing that mattered now was finding Vanille. Everything else could take a back seat.

She slid past several people obliviously as she walked through the small café doors. The smell of alcohol instantly hit her in waves. She smirked; this was her kind of place. She fixed her eyes on the bar, catching sight of the very person she wanted to speak with.

Lebreau, as per usual; seemed to be busying herself in the kitchen. Fang noticed the tone she was shouting in was a little more on edge than usual. Wow, this girl really didn't take any nonsense from the boys. In fact, she had to suppress a smile as one of the young men, sporting a bright blue hairdo; stumbled from behind the bar, drinks tippling over the side of their glasses.

"Yuj!" Lebreau yelled at the young man. The boy turned, a half-worried, half-sorry look written across his features. Lebreau rolled her eyes, muttering something that he couldn't quite hear. Fang just managed to catch the ending.

"That's the last time I let you behind the bar before shift…"

He muttered apologetically as he staggered past Fang, trying to desperately stay on his feet to get the drinks to the waiting customers. Fang could see by the way he was unbalanced that he was obviously drunk.

"Heh, Lightweights…" she whispered to herself, knowing full well that she could drink half of these fully grown men under the table. That said, the poor boy was only that; a boy. Nothing more. She smiled to herself as she imagined what Vanille would be like under the influence of alcohol.

Now that would be entertaining.

'Remind me to try that when I find her.' she thought, revelling in the image.

Walking to the bar, she roughly pushed her way to the front, half the men there hardly noticed her prescience or the way she shoved them harshly to one side. They were all too paralytic to try. She kicked a bar stool sideways, sitting herself down at the front of the queue. She walked with such a swagger that no one dare say anything to her, if they could have mustered the words.

She sat silently for a minute, glancing over her shoulder occasionally to glimpse out the window. Just as her eyes settled on the dark sky of Cocoon, the first firework flew upwards, igniting the sky with a bright violet light. The sound of gunpowder ripped through the atmosphere, followed by an excited murmur of the crowd; all anticipating what they were going to wish on.

She didn't believe in all that. Wishes couldn't come true, people had to determine their own fate, with hard work and good judgement. There was no one pushing her to walk the path she did but herself.

Turning back to the bar, she was shocked to see a cocktail had been pushed in front of her. Lebreau's face hovering just beyond the glass.

"You looked like you could use a drink…" the young NORA waitress said happily, her stressful feelings all but dissipated at the sight of Bodhum's fireworks.

Fang smiled up at her gratefully, taking the drink in her hand. Raising it to her lips she took a small swig, the faint taste of alcohol in a mix of fruit juice and something a little sweeter. She looked at the drink with admiration, it was better than anything she had had back on Pulse.

She placed the glass carefully back on the counter, looking up at the woman before her with thanks.

"Beautiful aren't they?" Lebreau asked, nodding back towards the beach front, to the array of colours gracing the night sky. Fang's eyes traced the same path, the bright attractions reflecting against them, setting them into her memory.

"You making a wish?" Lebreau added, looking up herself.

Fang shook her head, turning back to the waitress with a certain sadness in her eyes.

If she couldn't find Vanille, there was nothing left for her to wish for.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Well, I know it is officially a day late, I promised that it would be up on the 18****th**** and it's the 19****th****, but I got snowed under with a late train from the horse sales yesterday and was really too tired to type this up. Hope your not all too mad :S.**

**Thanks for reading! x**


	9. The Fireworks Festival

**Hi Guys. **

**I'm really sorry for the delay in getting this to you. It seems my inspiration has been running a little bit low recently! Anyway, thanks, as per usual; for all the reviews on the last chapter. Very much appreciated. All your loyalty to this story is outstanding and I really can't thank you all enough. **

**Enjoy! **

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><p>As she half-skipped along the streets of Bodhum, Vanille had to admit that she felt a little bit guilty.<p>

For some reason, Lightning's words just wouldn't leave her subconscious. She knew it was completely ridiculous that she was going against the soldiers words. After all, without Lightning's help, she wouldn't be out walking in the night air anyway, yet Fang's image just wouldn't leave her head either. It was ironic really, she had known Lightning for all of a week, and she had known Fang for most of her life; yet when it came down to it, she found herself torn between the wishes of either one.

Lightning had shown her a kindness, and a bravery that she had never seen before on Cocoon; for a soldier, she just didn't seem as heartless as she made out.

Vanille sometimes couldn't help but wonder that it was all a way of getting information from her, after all; she wouldn't put it past a Cocoon Soldier to play dirty.

She shook her head quickly, no. Lightning seemed different somehow, she was more like her sister than she let on and Vanille had never met someone as nice as Serah before.

She felt an equal amount of guilt at the fact she had left the other pink-haired girl back at home; probably waiting or worrying that she would get a lecture from Lightning. Vanille hoped the soldier wouldn't be too hard on the younger girl; after all, she wasn't the one to blame in all of this.

She too, was just another victim of the Pulse fal'Cie's wishes.

That was another reason that she so desperately wanted to find Fang. Perhaps the two of them might find a way to help the youngest Farron. Maybe; like herself, it was too late for any of that.

Yet on the night that shone with the wishes of Bodhum's fireworks, she couldn't help but feeling a little optimistic too. The joyous feelings running through all of Cocoon's citizens were completely contagious. Even if she couldn't find a way back to Fang, or back to Pulse. Maybe if she wished hard enough, she could wait here for the end to come, whatever direction it might go in. If she couldn't find a way home, she would be happy to stay here.

With Lightning.

She looked high into the sky as another set of fireworks shot into the air, exploding and filling the sky with some of the brightest colours she had ever seen. The only ones brighter had been the flowers native to Pulse, to her home. She smiled as she mused back to her own planet; to her own village.

With Oerba still in her head, she stepped out across Bodhum's bright cream beach, weaving her way in and out of the crowd. Just above the crackle and bangs of the fireworks; she could hear the sea lazily lapping backwards and forwards towards the awaiting citizens, the fireworks reflecting on its dark surface. She made her way across the sand until she found a significant space to stand. Glancing around, she scanned the crowd from her vantage point; looking out for any distinct glimpse of a familiar blue sari and dark hair.

There looked to be many different people gathered around, but none of them resembled the person she so desperately wanted to see. She even caught a glimpse of the kind, sliver-haired boy she had bumped into a week back in Cocoon's high street. He was stood next to a woman with the same shade of hair colour, obviously his mother. She felt a little stab of sadness cross her heart. What she wouldn't give to be in his place right now…

She considered for a moment, walking over and searching Lebreau's little café for Fang, but seeing how busy it was; decided against it. Besides, she couldn't risk bumping into Lightning. She couldn't imagine that the solder would be best pleased to see her.

Instead, she let her eyes wander back up to the display, the bright colours reflecting in her eyes and enhancing their emerald shade.

Walking a few steps forwards and raising her hands to just above her chest; she interlocked her fingers and bowed her head downwards in prayer. Whenever she lost hope, whenever everything seemed impossible, she could simply wish for things to turn out alright.

Closing her eyes tightly, she let her mind wander; wishing for the miracle she so desperately needed.

* * *

><p>Serah sighed and stretched out, diverting her eyes from the TV to her wristwatch. She yawned as she realised that the time was moving quickly towards midnight.<p>

It brought her back to the conversation she had shared with Snow earlier; the more she sat and pondered his words, the more she longed to walk out the door and meet him. Lightning always had a way of cancelling her plans, especially when Snow was involved. She knew that Lightning simply hated her boyfriend, perhaps everything her sister was trying to do was to drive the two of them further apart. She knew it was just Lightning's way of being protective, the older Farron hated to see her get hurt.

She gripped the bandage on her arm quickly, remembering exactly why Snow was so important to her. Even through everything that had happened, especially her becoming a l'Cie; Snow had been there to support her. What she felt she couldn't tell her sister, she could tell Snow without question.

Yet here she was; breaking another promise.

She glanced over at the stairs cautiously. She hadn't heard anything from Vanille for a while now, perhaps the other girl was just really tired; or wanting to be left alone. Tearing her eyes away, she flicked them back towards the door, an idea forming in her mind.

Lightning wasn't due back for a few more hours…

She knew that the thoughts swirling in her head couldn't possibly end well; going against her sisters wishes was never the wisest plan, she knew every time they fought she pushed Lightning further and further away. Yet what was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to choose between her sister and Snow? Especially not when she needed both of them more than ever right now.

She had to find the courage to tell Lightning what had happened to her; and she wanted Snow to be by her side when she did.

She had heard the stories before, she had discussed the inevitable outcome with Snow a few days ago. Being a l'Cie meant one of two things for her, it was either crystal or Cie'th and since she couldn't even begin to figure out the vision her focus had provided…

She shook the thought from her head, after all; she had more recent things to think about. Even as she sat here wondering, she knew her mind was made up.

Snow had been there for her through so much, all of this l'Cie business; none of it seemed to phase him. He was even calmer than she was right now. She had to know what he had to tell her, if it was something urgent; and she had a feeling it was, she had to hear him out.

She owed him that much.

She gave a final glimpse over in the direction of her own room, to where she knew Vanille to be sleeping. Perhaps if she slipped away now, the other girl would never know she had gone; she only planned on being gone a short while after all. Besides, the way Vanille had acted earlier, she expected her to be out like a light at least until morning. She'd been through quite the ordeal.

She was careful not to make much noise as she raised herself up off the sofa. She eyed her coat quickly, before deciding that it was the middle of summer; even at this time of night, there shouldn't be any need to wrap up.

Opening the door cautiously, she eyed the room one more time before cringing at the sound it's hinges made upon it closing. If she hurried, she might just make it to the end of the fireworks display.

If anyone could do with a wish right now; it was her.

* * *

><p>Lightning's shift was passing without much drama at all.<p>

Adjusting her stance, the pink-haired soldier looked up at the fireworks with little interest. Instead, she focused on her feet; brushing Bodhum's white sand across her boots in boredom. Guard duty was always uneventful, especially it seemed; when she was on shift.

She didn't even have any rowdy kids to yell at. It was downright depressing…

She sighed as another firework busted above her head, earning a quick squeal from the woman next to her.

She glanced over at the woman with narrowed eyes, not that she was focusing on the soldier at all. To the citizens, soldiers just seemed to be a piece of the furniture on a night like this.

She hovered her hand above her gunblade quickly, longing to un-holster it and walk up and down menacingly. Unfortunately, scaring the residents wasn't included in her job description. She was on guard duty, the last thing she needed was to give one of the unsuspecting tourists a heart attack.

She stepped backwards quickly as someone excitedly rushed past her, almost colliding with her side. She felt like saying something snide but thought better of it. What she hated the most about the fireworks festival was the crowd; when she was amongst everyone she felt trapped, hating that she couldn't just walk off and be solitary like usual.

She was simply stuck here until the end of the night.

She sighed; looking up at the fireworks with hatred. Narrowing her eyes, she attempted to block out the sights and sounds around her; wishing that she could be at home right now. Even that was better than here right now, no matter how complicated her life was fast becoming. Exactly what she was striving to avoid.

"You wishing on fireworks Farron?"

A masculine voice to her left made her open her eyes again quickly, not so much making her jump but certainly grabbing her attention.

"Uh, no… I …" she stammered, feeling her cheeks flush; mainly for the fact she indeed wasn't wishing, well; not that kind of wishing.

Wishing she wasn't here, yes.

"So, I hear your taking tomorrow off?" Lieutenant Amodar said with a sarcastic ring to his voice. Crossing his arms over his chest he boomed out a quick laugh, knowing full well that Lightning herself had never requested a day off in her life.

"Yes… uh, yes sir; for my birthday sir…" Lightning answered quickly, hanging her head further and shuffling the white sand faster across the beach with her boot.

"My sister, she insisted upon it…" Serah and her plans, she was however; secretly looking forward to a day out with her sister. After all, they really didn't spend enough time together.

And then there was Vanille too…

"Relax Sergeant. We're taking the rest of the night off too…" Lieutenant Amodar smiled down at her kindly, mainly the way a father would smile upon a daughter. He had always been fond of Lightning; she had always been his best soldier.

"What?… Why?" she asked, trying to keep her voice more surprised than happy. She felt her heart skip with relief, perhaps the fireworks had indeed granted what she was thinking. No, she shook her head. Fireworks didn't grant anything, there was a reason for the sudden shift change.

As Amodar opened his mouth to speak, he gestured behind him carefully, giving a brief nod of his head.

"PSICOM business, nothing to do with me soldier…" he said quietly.

"PSICOM business?" she asked, curious. What, now they were sticking their noses into the towns activities as well? What did they want with a small town fireworks display?

"Not my jurisdiction soldier, they don't tell us Guardian Corps much of anything. Once these boys moved in, the whole town just went to hell." he looked down upon Lightning carefully, seeing her furrow her brow in thought; a look he had seen many times before and it usually ended up with the pink-haired woman getting herself into some kind of troubled situation.

"Let it go soldier. Don't go sticking your nose into their business, for your own sake…" he warned carefully. Lightning looked at him in puzzlement, what was he thinking? The same as her? It was unlike Amodar to not know what was going on in town…

She didn't get a chance to second guess his words, spinning her head around quickly, something caught in the corner of her vision. A flash of someone familiar. Her pulse quickened as she realised that what she saw was indeed familiar, only one person she knew supported that hair colour…

"Soldier, you alright?" Amodar asked, grabbing her attention back quickly.

"Uh, yeah. I… I guess I'll just go home. I'm sure Serah could do with some company…" Lightning flicked her eyes back to the crowd, scanning around. What was Vanille thinking, coming here after she had told her to stay away?.

A momentary feeling of panic gripped her and she quickly looked over to the PSICOM solder, relieved to find him looking in the opposite direction towards the fireworks. Blanking Amodar slightly, she forced her feet briskly forward, trying to seem like she was just indeed slipping away.

"Have a good birthday Farron!" Amodar laughed after her, pausing for a moment before turning heel himself.

Lightning ignored his mockery, brushing the crowd aside as she walked towards the red-headed l'Cie. She had to get Vanille out of here. Whatever the younger girl was doing, it was putting the both of them in danger, not to mention her job on the line; with her superior here none the less. What was she supposed to say if Amodar caught her with a Pulse l'Cie?

She felt a sudden flare up of anger, after everything she had done over the past few days for Vanille, what was she playing at, going against her orders? She was just trying to protect the younger girl.

And where was Serah? She was supposed to be watching her…

She sighed to herself, rolling her eyes.

Two guesses…

She pushed the crowd aside effortlessly as her long strides brought her up behind Vanille. She paused for a minute, looking at the girls stance. Her hands were locked together and it seemed like she, along with the rest of the crowd, was wishing on the fireworks.

"Tsk." she whispered to herself. It seemed like something Vanille would do, she could tell that after just a few short hours, Vanille was seemingly an easy person to read. She guessed the young girl had a lot on her mind to wish for and she couldn't help but let a little bit of her anger fade away.

She imagined Vanille would be scared right now but even so; she would have been safer if she'd just have stayed put.

Reaching out, she placed a careful hand on Vanille's shoulder lightly, alerting her presence. The younger girl flinched under her touch, instantly spinning around, her eyes wide and alert. Brushing Lightning's hand off defensively, she backed up until her eyes locked with the solders and she realised just who was stood in front of her, then her gaze turned quickly to one of guilt.

"Lightning!"

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><p><strong>A.N:<strong>

**Okay, so this one is a little bit shorter than the others, although I am trying to put a little more content in, so I apologise for the switching between characters. That should settle down in the next few chapters as I have a little bit of a surprise in store! **

**So, thanks for reading...! **


	10. A Soldier's Promise

**Well Now. **

**It's been a very, very long time hasn't it? For that I'm sorry, complications, complications, complications. That's all I've seemed to have just recently and due to a brand new accident (Not horse related whatsoever) but vehicle related, I've had a lot bigger things to worry about recently than writing! **

**In fact, if it wasn't for an e-mail from a certain user, I probably wouldn't have been back updating this early anyway. Well, that's all a long story, and one for another time! **

**Read on and more importantly. **

**Enjoy! .**

**XX**

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><p>"Vanille?" Lightning looked down upon the young l'Cie with meaning. Keeping her face stern and straight was actually surprisingly difficult. When her eyes caught Vanille's, she couldn't help but notice the guilt written across her face, but more importantly, there was something else too.<p>

The girl looked a little upset.

"Light… I…" Vanille looked down at her feet sheepishly, shuffling her shoes across the sand. As soon as Lightning removed her hand from the smaller girl's shoulder, Vanille latched her hands together behind her back, looking completely dejected.

"I was just…" Lightning held up her hand to silence the young l'Cie before her. She didn't need an explanation, it was as clear as day as to why Vanille was here. If she'd been in the same position she could imagine herself the same way. Disregarding her own freedom would be worth finding what she was searching for. But still, the soldier couldn't help but feel a little bit wary of her current situation. The beach was still crawling with soldiers, both Guardian Corps and PSICOM.

"No need…" the soldier whispered, breaking their eye contact; mainly because the younger girls eyes were swimming with tears. She didn't do consolation, not comfortably anyway.

"No, I have to explain…." Vanille whispered, looking back up at the fireworks. She owed Lightning an explanation of why she disregarded her wishes. Lightning was kind enough to offer someone like her a place to stay, so she at least should let her know why.

"I… I want to stay here Light, I really do. It's just, if I don't get home…." she let her voice trail off, suddenly choked up at the thought of what would happen if her brand progressed further. She positively shuddered at the thought of the damage she could do to someone if she turned into a Cie'th here in Bodhum.

She couldn't hurt anyone anymore.

"It's just… I wanted to find Fang first. I wanted her to be there…"

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. Discussing this with Lightning seemed harder than ever, she couldn't remember ever actually talking out her fears before. Only to Serah, and then she had been brief with what she had to say. Now that Lightning knew what she was, it seemed even more difficult to talk.

Lightning looked back over at her, Vanille could feel her eyes burning into her skin; encouraging her to continue.

"I don't want to hurt anyone…."

Lightning frowned at her words, why did the younger girl feel like she would hurt someone by staying here, after all, l'Cie could control their powers couldn't they?

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly, her voice ever so slightly ringing with curiosity.

"Why would you hurt anyone?"

Vanille looked up at her in confusion. Surely Lightning knew what happened to a l'Cie that failed their focus? How becoming a Cie'th meant that she would have no control over her own actions. She wouldn't have a choice whether or not she hurt innocent people, her body would no longer be hers to control.

"Vanille?" Lightning asked gently, noting her silence. Vanille just looked further down, averting her eyes completely away from any contact. How was she supposed to ask the next question? It hardly seemed fair…

"I want you to promise me something…" she whispered quietly, so much so that Lightning had to strain to hear her mouse-like voice. The statement just made her frown harder…

Firstly, the younger girl had hidden being a l'Cie from her, then she had disobeyed her only rule; now she wanted the soldier to make her a promise? Even though Vanille had caused so much mayhem around her recently, so much so that everything that she found stable - her job, her freedom. Everything that even came close to the way she lived, could all be taken away for merely standing here conversing with the red-head.

Yet why did Lightning find herself so close to agreeing with the other girls wishes without question?

"What is it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to put back on a harder exterior. The truth was, she felt something towards the other girl, a strong sense of protection. It was the feeling that knotted her stomach every time Serah had been in trouble when she was a child, or even still now. It was a feeling she only experienced when she had something she so desperately wanted to protect…

So why did she feel it now, how could the girl standing before her really have made so much of an impact on her?

It could have been her child-like innocence, her charming naivety that only grew the more Lightning spoke to her. It could have been the fact she was alone, scared, upset. It could have been because Lightning so desperately wanted to know more, more about how she had become a l'Cie; about why she ended up here of all places, why fate had chosen the here and now - Alongside her.

Lightning couldn't put a label on the reason, all she knew was, she was ready to listen to what Vanille was feeling, and that in itself was rare. So when the younger girl opened her mouth to speak, she found herself forgetting that she was surrounded by people, on one of the night's that she despised the most.

She forgot all but the girl in front of her, about how her body was slumped in sadness, the firework's reflecting in her bright tear-filled emerald eyes.

"If I can't find Fang, if I have to stay here, in Bodhum…." Vanille swallowed before continuing, forcing down the lump forming in her throat.

"If I turn into a Cie'th, I'll hurt so many people. I can't, I can't do that again…" She looked up at the soldier, their eyes locking together.

"I want you to make sure I don't hurt anyone, even if it means…um… you know…"

Lightning shook her head quickly, knowing exactly what Vanille was trying to say.

"I'm not going to kill you, it's not going to come to that…" she said quickly, feeling a sudden grip of panic. She wouldn't even know where to begin if it did come to that, metaphorically speaking anyway.

"You know how it will end, if a l'Cie…. If I… fail my focus. That's what I'll become, a monster." Vanille argued back, forgetting her uneasiness at talking to the soldier, perhaps if this did end badly, Lightning would be exactly the person she needed by her side.

"Then we complete your focus…" Lightning stated, matter-of-factly. To speak the truth, she had seen what happened when a l'Cie failed their focus, it was an eternity of emptiness, left to wander the land as an undying monster. But what resolve really lay in completing their focus either? A crystal prison to which they should never wake, to her; neither option seemed better than the other.

At least helping Vanille to complete her focus wouldn't require what the young girl was asking of her….

"I have no idea where to start, all I know is. If I get home, I cant hurt anyone, Gran Pulse is big enough for me to wander without meeting anyone." Vanille's small body shuddered at the thought, wandering lonely across a derelict Archylte Steppe didn't seem too appealing.

Yet it was better than the alternative.

"Then I help you to get home…" Lightning whispered, feeling a sudden urge to speak softer, not letting go of the eye contact she had with Vanille. She couldn't imagine little Vanille as a Cie'th anyway. There had to be a way around it, to cheat fate as it were.

"You… you'd do that?" Vanille stammered, taken aback by the new side of Lightning - it seemed like the soldier had done so much for her over the past few days.

"I'll try." Lightning admitted truthfully, if there was a way of doing the impossible then she was completely up to the challenge… She half-smiled downwards, earning a slightly bewildered look from Vanille. Before the younger girl too smiled, perhaps not the best one she had ever seen, but it was an improvement none the less.

"Thank you…" she whispered, her voice suddenly lost in the roar of the crowd.

One of Bodhum's fireworks shot skywards, making both women jump. Even Lightning, and she had seen it many times before. It was the ending signal, the loudest, brightest skyrocket of Bodhum's display.. If there was anytime to wish, it would have been now. Instead, she looked around her cautiously, well-aware that the crowd would soon be dissipating.

She let her attentions leave Vanille for a moment, instead her eyes settled on the space where the PSICOM soldier had stood before, now missing it's occupier.

She turned back to Vanille quickly, now suddenly cautious. She mentally kicked herself for having this conversation here, feeling a familiar prickle of danger run through her. Grabbing the younger girls arm, she gave it a gentle squeeze, ready to hurry her off.

"We have to go, the guards will be patrolling soon…" she knew the drill, as soon as the fireworks stopped, her regiment would patrol up and down checking that everything was in order. Right now, she had no idea where PSICOM was stationed. She could have walked her own route blind-folded. She just didn't trust those guys.

"Wont you get into trouble for leaving?" Vanille asked quickly, looking up in momentary panic.

"I've been dismissed for the night, PSICOM's doing…" Lightning whispered quickly, giving her a reassuring nod.

"It seems you've made quite the impression on these guys." she added. Vanille frowned for a minute, she could have sworn she saw a playful wink from the soldier at her words. She shook her head, it was time to leave.

She glanced behind her quickly, allowing herself to be pulled gently forwards, fully committed to following the soldier. This time, she wasn't planning on going against what Lightning had to say. If Fang was here, she would have seen some kind of sign before now, it seemed Bodhum's fireworks didn't really work at all…

"Let's go…" she whispered, letting the pink-haired woman lead her away.

* * *

><p>As soon as her eyes locked upon the sight before her, Fang simply saw red.<p>

In fact, her heart had jumped somewhere close to her throat. At least, that's what it felt like. A shooting protective sensation shot through her body, making her temporarily unaware of the fact she had drawn her weapon in public. With her lance gripped tightly in her hands she didn't even stop to contemplate the situation before her.

She had been finally walking back in the direction of her new found commitment. Back to Rygdea, back to the _Lindblum_. That's when her eyes stumbled across a familiar glimpse of red-hair. She had all but given up on finding Vanille, having sat in Lebreau's little café for in excess of two hours, she had waited until the beach crowd had dissipated. Hoping that Vanille would have gone against her advice and stayed out a little after dark. Even then, Fang had been eyeing both military forces suspiciously.

She knew deep down that Vanille would never give up on her search for herself, yet she couldn't help but wonder if the younger girl had given up hope of finding her in Bodhum. After all, she had searched everywhere for her companion and being unable to go back to the Vestige wouldn't have left Vanille with many options. If Fang was being truthful, she wouldn't have stuck around either. Not if roles were reversed.

Unfortunately for her, they weren't, and this time. Cocoon had crossed the line.

She could see by the glowing Chevrons gracing the tall pink-haired woman's shoulder that she was Military. She had spent enough time with the soldiers of Cocoon recently to recognise the uniform.

It was just on the off chance that she had glimpsed Vanille, a simple look in a different direction, fate if you were. Jumping forward she had quickly approached until she realised that Vanille didn't walk alone.

If she had stopped to evaluate the situation, perhaps she would have realised that Vanille wasn't being restrained at all, quite the contrary. She was walking along with her usual springing stride. Yet Fang, being Fang - Rushed on in headfirst.

* * *

><p>Lightning stopped walking abruptly, she had undergone enough training to feel when someone was following her.<p>

She found her well-trained military instincts suddenly springing into life, the hairs on the back of her neck instantly creeping upwards, giving her an uneasy feeling. Looking on ahead, she noticed Vanille seemed completely oblivious to her sudden caution. Keeping her eyes forward, her hand hovered above her weapon quickly, and she listened intently. A slight noise close behind her made the pink-haired soldier move quickly, the street lamp they had just past cast a slight moving shadow next to her own as she did so.

The strike would have come as quite a shock to Lightning, if of course her instinct hadn't been quite as sharp. Hearing a slight swish behind her, she recognised the sound of a weapon being swung through he air.

No matter how silent the wielder, a heavy object always managed to make a slight noise.

Jumping a stride forward she braced on her heels, spinning around and grabbing her Blazefire Sabre at the same time, all on one smooth action. In doing so, she brought it to chest level, gripping it until her knuckles were white and forcing it forwards, away from her body. It met the lance with a slight chink of metal on metal.

Narrowing her eyes, Lightning looked up at her adversary. She was faintly aware of a little gasp from Vanille, however being reluctant to take her eyes off her enemy she just assumed it was sudden surprise at being attacked.

"Get out of here!" Lightning hissed in her direction, instantly imagining the person before her was military and that Vanille was their target. However, she frowned slightly, looking the woman before her up and down suspiciously - She didn't look like a soldier.

Her outfit was strange, not military whatsoever. The Sari she seemed to be boasting just covered her body neatly, leaving room for a perfectly-toned midriff to be on show, followed by long slender tanned legs. She just caught the woman's strange attire at a glimpse, having to take a step backwards as the other woman threw her weapon out, trying to catch her off guard.

That's when she heard Vanille shout from behind her.

"Fang!" her voice didn't sound fearful at all, in fact, it rang with happiness. Looking on in confusion, she glimpsed again quickly at the other woman. Everything clicked into place, she could see it now. The strange outfit reminded her of what Vanille was wearing. Was this who Vanille was looking for?

"Vanille, get out of here!" Fang growled. She swung her lance forwards at the soldier, once again meeting Lightning's weapon. She heard the soldiers boots scrape against the ground, finding a little grip against the pavement finally and holding her steady. Fang smirked a little. This woman was good, then again, her mind flashed back to the Vile Peaks.

She knew she recognised the soldier from somewhere. She was the one that came to help Snow out. She saw her fighting style back then too, when she had been against Pulsework Soldiers and Bombs.

She had been impressed then too.

Ducking down, she went for a lower attack angle, hoping to catch the other woman unawares and take her feet from underneath her. Lightning was prepared and leapt nimbly upwards, blocking a sneaky swing of Fang's lance towards her head.

Deflecting the blow, Lightning jumped backwards, swinging her own weapon forwards half-heartedly. She didn't want to hurt the other woman, yet Fang seemed to think she was the enemy here. Mind you, it must have looked a little suspicious, Vanille being with her. Fang was just being protective. Never the less, she meant business.

Dodging to the side, Lightning tried to raise her hands quickly, showing that she meant the other woman no harm. It just seemed to make Fang advance faster, blindly enraged at the soldier being with Vanille.

"I'm not going to fight you!" Lightning said quickly, blocking another swing of the warrior woman's lance. She had seen plenty of angry people in her time but Fang was beyond talking to. She pushed her backwards in anger, raising her own blade to strike and Fang did the same. Again, metal clanged together violently. It seemed they were very similarly matched.

She really didn't want to fight the other woman, she wanted her to see that she meant Vanille no harm. Yet she wasn't going to sit back and take the other woman's attitude either, if she wasn't willing to succumb to reason then she would have no choice but to hurt her…

"Fang stop!" Vanille said quickly, panic setting in. What if Fang hurt Lightning? She would never forgive herself. She started forwards quickly, with full intentions of breaking up the fight. She knew that Lightning was only defending herself but she couldn't bear to see either woman get hurt.

"You have to stop!" she shouted, tears filling her eyes and her voice lost in the continuous clash of metal. She closed her emerald eyes quickly, thinking of the best thing to do. Perhaps magic would split them, but what if someone heard? She would be arrested on the spot, not that they could make much more noise anyway…

Before she had the time to decide the best solution, her eyes flew open at a sudden rolling crack of energy before her. She had to shield them again quickly as she blinked in a bright white light of elementary magic, sharp against the darkened night sky.

Confused, she looked down at her own hands, temporarily semi-blinded. As far as she was aware, they were still fixed to her side. It was when she raised them again that she caught her first glimpse of the scene before her, the little white dots that had been hovering previously leaving her vision. She raised her hands to her mouth quickly in pure shock, making out the figure before her. She could see both Fang and Lightning several metres apart, both slightly stunned at the fact they were now laid firmly on he floor, their weapons thrown from their hands.

A crackle of powerful magic flowed through the floor before the young l'Cie and she shuddered, now fully aware of the cause.

Lightning raised her eyes in confusion, a little disoriented from hitting the ground so hard. Shaking her head she automatically looked in Vanille's direction first, thinking the younger girl had used her magic to split them up. However, she froze in place when she realised that Vanille hadn't even moved, she still stood rooted to the spot. The young girls hands were in front of her mouth and her eyes fixated on a spot just the other side of where she lay.

She caught a glimpse of Fang rolling over too, looking like she had also hit the ground with some force. Whatever spell had been used, it was a powerful one. Enough to knock the both of them a good few metres backwards. It was then that her eyes forced themselves a little further off the ground, fixating to another figure before them.

Lightning had to double take, making sure that she wasn't just disoriented from the fall. She realised in horror that she wasn't. It wasn't Vanille that stood before her, body trembling and arms spread wide, a crackle of magic residing in the air around her frame.

It was Serah.

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><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

**Well, I liked the first half of this, but the second half just seemed to get a little mentally draining so I'm sorry if this seems a little rushed and not up to my usual standard. I'm planning on doing a little tweak/ mistake correcting throughout my stories soon anyway so I shall hopefully be able to make it flow a little better when I haven't got so much to think about, I guess I just need to get back into the flow of writing and I will be updating my other stories soon…**

**Anyway , thank you for reading! **


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